How math and science move in opposite directions
And how they might ultimately be one and the same…
For almost as long as they have existed, mathematics and natural science have been inextricably linked. Centuries ago, scientists realized that math could be used as a tool to analyze trends, process data, and ultimately develop theories about the mechanics of our universe and underlying laws in nature. Similarly, developments in science over the years have been beneficial to math as well, not only by realizing practical applications for theoretical or “pure” math, but also by drawing connections between seemingly unrelated ideas and thereby furthering the growth of purely mathematical concepts too.
This relationship is perhaps most pronounced at the intersection of math and physics. Eugene Wigner’s famous essay, The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences, suggests that the remarkable applicability of mathematical ideas to physics is more than just an interesting coincidence and hints at something profound about the very laws of nature it attempts to uncover.
“…the mathematical formulation of the physicist’s often crude experience leads in an uncanny number of cases to an amazingly accurate description of a…
