This course deals
with the nature of mathematics, appreciation of its practical, intellectual,
and aesthetic dimensions, and application of mathematical tools in daily life.
The course begins with an introduction to the nature of mathematics as an
exploration of patterns (in nature and the environment) and as an application
of inductive and deductive reasoning. By exploring these topics, students are
encouraged to go beyond the typical understanding of mathematics as merely a
set of formulas but as a source of aesthetics in patterns of nature, for
example, and a rich language in itself (and of science) governed by logic and
reasoning. The course then proceeds to survey ways in which mathematics
provides a tool for understanding and dealing with various aspects of
present-day living, such as managing personal finances, making social choices,
appreciating geometric designs, understanding codes, used in data transmission
and security, and dividing limited resources fairly. These aspects will provide
opportunities for actually doing mathematics in a broad range of exercises that
bring out the various dimensions of mathematics as a way of knowing and test
the students’ understanding and capacity.
- Teacher: CAS_Rachel Mae Panganiban