Sarukkai, Sundar
(2005)
Explaining the obvious: the place of mathematics in the sciences.
Current Science, 88 (3).
pp. 327-328.
| Abstract: |
If there is anything obvious in the rapidly
changing world of modern science, it is the
essential role of mathematics. Even biologists,
many of whom react negatively (if
not violently) to the claim that mathematics
is necessary, have to acknowledge the
various direct and indirect ways in which
mathematics influences the growth of their
disciplines. However, the problem of obviousness
is that what is obvious is soon
taken for granted. Not only is the use of
mathematics now taken for granted, at
least in the physical sciences, it has for
long become indispensable to these disciplines.
The state of indispensability, as
many people in power realize, is always
a sure sign of future decline! Although we
do not yet see the sign of any impending
decline of mathematics on the horizon,
there are already claims about new kinds
of science, including the one by Wolfram
which attempts to model the world not
through traditional mathematics but with
algorithmic rules. |
| Item Type: |
Journal Paper
|
| Additional Information: |
The Copyright belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences. |
| Subjects: |
School of Humanities > Philosophy |
| Date Deposited: |
18 May 2006 |
| Last Modified: |
09 Aug 2007 08:34 |
| Official URL: |
http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/feb102005/327.pdf |
| Related URLs: |
|
| Funders: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| Projects: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| DOI: |
|
| URI: |
http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/20 |
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