Math is more than the sum of its parts

In a science and technology-driven age, schools need to teach kids the

beauty of numbers
by Edward Frenkel and Ronald Ross, New York Daily News
This Fourth of July will forever be remembered in the history of
science as the day when the discovery of the Higgs boson was announced.
The last remaining elementary particle among those predicted by the
Standard Model of three forces of nature finally revealed itself through
painstakingly assembled data of billions of collisions at the Large
Hadron Collider, the most sophisticated machine ever built by humans.
But one important aspect of this great discovery has been largely
hidden from the public view: the fact that this elusive particle was a
mathematical prediction, and its discovery a triumph for an increasingly
underappreciated discipline.
Unfortunately, we don't hear much about the fascinating drama of ideas
unfolding in modern mathematics - not even when they result in an epic
discovery. This despite the fact that math is increasingly woven in the
very fabric of our daily lives: every time we make a purchase online,
send a text message, use a computer or GPS device, formulas and
algorithms are launched to fulfill these tasks.
It's a terrible irony. In a world increasingly driven by science and
technology, with math more and more the source of power and profit and
progress, mathematical illiteracy has reached epidemic proportions.
That illiteracy comes with a big price tag, as we can see from the
current economic crisis: It was exacerbated by reckless misuse of
mathematical models in the financial markets, which even many corporate
decision makers didn't understand one whit.
Our public schools should be focused on solving this problem - but they
are practicing subtraction by addition. Instead of exposing students to
the infinite possibilities of math, teachers are forced to spend
countless hours on memorization of thousands of note cards in pursuit of
high scores on standardized tests. It's treated as a chore when it is
the most relevant subject of all.
How can we expect substantial learning to occur in a state of
compulsion and fear?
Mathematics is a dynamic, vibrant field, much richer than most of us
realize. We must open this world to students, excite them, show where
the abstract meets the concrete. To do this, educators have to join
forces with professional mathematicians.
Schools should invite math practitioners as guest speakers to help
teachers inspire students' curiosity, show them how a formula can be as

elegant as a painting, a poem or a piece of music. And to facilitate

this, an online platform should be created matching educators with math
professionals.
A month ago, one of us, a school educator, invited the other, a math
professor, to talk to students at his school about the theory of
symmetry and its applications to quantum physics. Head-in-the-clouds
stuff? You might think so. But we could see kids' eyes light up when
they heard about these topics - and the ensuing discussion confirmed
their fascination.
Unfortunately, some of our colleagues believe that the current math
curriculum, already limited, needs to be further reduced. In an opinion
piece published recently in the New York Times, mathematics was compared
to a dead language, and it was argued that most citizens would be better
served by studying merely a few practical applications of math.
We disagree. The language of math is as vital as ever, and the way
forward is to rediscover its innate beauty and possibility. Replacing
rigorous study of mathematics with "useful skills" is like teaching
students how to paint a fence without ever showing them the paintings of
Michelangelo and Picasso.
Educators and professional mathematicians should join forces to unlock
the power and beauty of mathematics for students and inspire them to
think big, so they can use this knowledge to create a freer and better
world.
-------------------------Frenkel is professor of mathematics at University of California,
Berkeley, and visiting professor at Columbia University. Ross is
superintendent of Greenburgh Central School District 7.
URL:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/math-sum-parts-article-1.1109261
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