Friday, December 10, 2021

Why Does Mathematics Need Imagination?

                      By Vic Odarve

Math is seen as a tough course by many students, and only a few are interested. That is why using your imagination may assist you in comprehending, appreciating, and challenging how this course operates. Many people are unaware that our imagination keeps various mathematical equations and formulas in our heads, allowing us to understand how they work in real-world scenarios and, of course, their limitations. As Mother Nature expresses her beauty through mathematics, from Newton's law of motion to Kepler's laws of revolving planets, our imagination keeps us appreciating the beauty and grandeur of our planet and the universe we live in. And much more; our imagination would keep us challenged to investigate math secrets and their role in the universe's mysteries. Understanding math is more like doing imaginative play than anything else!

Math consists of interwoven equations and formulas, and imagination would keep the students’ interested considering how math works intangible worlds. Imagination also adds our knowledge in quantum and cosmic worlds because variables or quantities involved in the math equations are developed only in modern science labs and scientific experiments which are often out in our real senses. In quantum mechanics, for instance, particles behave differently from classical mechanics. In cosmic science, some mathematical formulas and equations developed from years of observation in various astronomical phenomena like an event horizon, a quantum singularity, the expanding universe, the uncertainty principle, and many others. But Einstein’s equations, where time is not constant, and his conversion ratio between matter and energy, are clearly a result of imagination. Prediction formulas, too, which are the product of probability and statistics, also come from imagination. Hence, imagination helps us going to get deep into equations with mathematical relationships between different things.

Math is beautiful

There is no ugly mathematics. Math is always beautiful. The beauty of math can be further appreciated by imagination. Mother Nature teaches us math, from plant leaves to cloud formations and the intricate webs of celestial bodies stretching into the cosmic ocean. Beautiful and intricate applications of mathematics are illustrated in the complexities of our natural world, such as the golden ratio, the Fibonacci sequence, fractals, and the honeycomb conjecture. The simple twig of a tree is a fragmented geometric shape that looks like the branches that they grow on, which look like the tree itself—a beautiful mathematic expression! Another one is a hexagonal-shaped honeycomb created by the bee. It is geometry in action. And these are all around us. Mathematical equations give us an understanding of Mother Nature’s mind and how the laws of physics are working. The existence of these laws keeps us appreciating the beauty of understanding mathematics.

Engineering class

 And much more. Imagination would keep us challenged to investigate math further, unlocking some of the secrets and discovering things we don’t yet understand. Some mathematical laws discovered are so strange that they keep us mind-boggling and expanding. Through imagination, we are just like playing equations in our minds and thinking about how they work in different circumstances and challenges to solve some of the mathematical problems. Newton and Leibnitz, for example, imagined how to solve areas of figures bounded by several curves and developed integral calculus; Laplace developed the method for solving differential equations; and probability and statistics for gambling or games of chance.

For a math-intensive career like engineering, it is through imagination that students can play around various math equations and formulas. Imagination is a driving force that leads to many inventions and innovations and what brought us to our present state of civilization. Math is not math until it is understood, appreciated, and challenged. And it needs imagination!


                                                       THANKS FOR VIEWING



 

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Elect the Best Candidates: The Choice is Ours

         By Vic Odarve

Since several candidates with various intentions want to hold public office in a democratic society, elections have been the usual mechanism by which a population chooses representatives. Elections give people an opportunity to have their say, invoke the symbols of nationalism or patriotism, and more. Elections break the monotony of our daily life with government officials running our economy with a downward trend from which the country suffers. As it always is, the choice to elect public officials to hold public offices is yours and is irrevocable.

 Participating in the election process really invokes the symbols of nationalism or patriotism. It gives us satisfaction in our need to feel a sense of belonging to our country, the place of our birth. Hence, the events during election time that include rallies, banners, posters, and television coverage suggest the importance of our participation. Sharing a post like the one shown below edifies fellow voters. The Philippines is an electoral democracy, but sometimes corruption and a lack of transparency continue to undermine democratic development. Elections have historically been marred by fraud, intimidation, and political violence. Vote-buying and vote-selling obstruct the democratic process, yet they remain pervasive in some parts of our country. Taking part in monitoring a clean and honest election is one of our nationalistic roles.

 This is the time to give people an opportunity to have their say.  For the old politicians, we can confirm if our last vote was worth what we are looking for in public servants. Whatever other reasons voters may have in their minds, participation in the upcoming election serves to reinforce our self-esteem and self-respect. For the neophytes in politics, voters have a chance to dig deeper if the candidates are the best applicants for the government position. He could not be the perfect candidate—but maybe the best among them. At least the voters can choose better candidates for public servants.

Candidates for President

By arousing emotions and working toward a collective objective of improving our country by electing good-performing government officials, it gives us a chance to replace below-par performers in our governance platform. By helping our voters through education, we can select candidates that cannot be bought and fooled by big businesses, crooked government officials, and oligarchs. Graft and corruption, tax evaders, and drug lords have been the perennial problems in this country. These are the main culprits behind why our economy is on a downward trend. One thing is certain: let others also know that they must vote according to their conscience, even if they do accept money.

Choosing the best candidate can be a challenging job, and when none of them seems to be a perfect fit for the public position, always vote for people who will best represent and uphold biblical values. Candidates, who are usually groomed and supported by media giants and rich and powerful oligarchs, must be investigated if they have records of graft and corruption. If they are one of them, crush them out of your list. Do not vote for them, even if they are endorsed by the President. Do not sell your votes to save our country. Believe in God's supernatural touch. The Bible says,

"When we humble ourselves and pray, God will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14)!"

The choice to select candidates is ours and is irrevocable when the dust of all our cities incarnadines the sunsets of the world.



THANKS FOR WATCHING