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| | Jef Raskin - Effectiveness of Mathematics |
 | | In physics we often describe phenomena in terms of mathematical relationships between quantities that represent observable attributes of the natural world: Double the tension on a spring and the amount it extends doubles; the intensity of light from a point source changes precisely in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the source. |
 | | But considering, in retrospect, that understanding of the physical world in terms of mathematics is a human trait, and that humans are biological creatures, I should not have been surprised that, once again, biology, and indeed one of the most powerful theories of biology, evolution, should provide a measure of understanding. |
 | | As we build mathematics we build it in conformity with the physical world because the foundations of logic, the very nature of what makes sense to us, was dictated by the physical world. |
| jef.raskincenter.org /unpublished/effectiveness_mathematics.html (2164 words) |
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