Mathematics

The word "mathematics" is one of the most common words that almost every person is familiar. As we think about this word, our minds visualize the concept of counting and calculations. Is it just that? We try to answer this in the following.

What is Mathematics?

Mathematics is the field of study which focuses on numbers, shapes, space and patterns.
So, counting and calculations are a part of mathematics but it's scope is much larger. Basic mathematics which includes simple calculations is a part of our daily life whereas higher mathematics is related to more complex sciences and other applications.

Etymology 

The word 'mathematics' is derived from Greek word 'máthēma' which means 'something learned, knowledge'. In ancient times of Greek mathematicians, word 'mathematician' was not considered as is today but about learned people. Later on, English language adopted this term for mathematical discipline.

Areas of Mathematics

In ancient times, mathematics was divided into two parts; first, arithmetic which was concerned with the study of numbers and numerical calculations and secondly, geometry which was focused on shapes and their characteristics.
Later on, when the knowledge about mathematics expanded, it's branches also widened. Now it's main areas include arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, set theory, number theory and analysis.

History 

The basic concept of counting is as old as the humanity itself. The recorded data about numbers is available from 2000 to 1800 B.C. One of these oldest records is also Pythagorean triples which implies Pythagorean theorem is so ancient.
Archaeological records show first elementary arithmetic by Babylonians. Then came Greek period which included mathematicians like Pythagoras, Euclid. 
Euclid in 300s B.C. wrote his worldwide acknowledged work "Elements". This book developed axiomatic method which includes definition, axiom, theorem and proof.
In the medieval period, Muslim mathematicians contributed a lot to different fields of knowledge including mathematics. The famous Muslim personalities in this regard are Al-Khwarizmi, Omar Khayyam, Sharaf al-Din Al-Tusi. The development of Algebra, spherical trigonometry and addition of decimal point to Arab numeral system were the major advancements in that era.
With the beginning of modern period, many novel developments were made to the field of mathematics which revolutionized it. Introduction of variables and symbolic notations were presentd by François Viète. John Napier developed logarithm which made calculations easier. Moreover, Newton and Leibniz introduced differential and integral calculus. Perhaps, the most important and major work in mathematics was contributed by Carl Gauss in the recent age. He surpassed all other mathematicians due to his broad developments in various areas of mathematics including algebra, analysis, differential geometry, matrix theory, number theory and also statistics.

Applications

In addition to daily life calculations, mathematics has abundant applicability in different studies. In the scientific fields, it's impossible to proceed without mathematics.
Scientists perform experiments and collect data, analyze it and apply various math techniques depending on the requirements. The phenomenon of nature are expressed in mathematical equations, e.g gravitational law, mass-energy equation, the mass of earth obtained through mathematical equations etc. Moreover, logarithms are used to understand pH in chemistry. Mathematics has a fundamental role in computer programming. Furthermore, mathematics is also utilized in social sciences for network analysis, modeling population, to form hypothesis and analyze them. Economic problems are solved using mathematical formulas.

Concluding remarks 

In short, mathematics has been worthful field of study during every era. Due to it's usefulness in modern sciences and technical areas, more research is going on in this regard.


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