this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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[โ€“] flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 months ago (19 children)

If someone needs another existental crisis here's a prompt:

  • Is math universal or is it a system of thought invented by humans and it only makes sense to us?
[โ€“] Kwiila@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

How we express math is particular to us, though it'd be commonly decipherable. Math is more and more globally standardized as more of it gets globally acknowledged as "the most useful" way to do math. E.g. place holder 0 vs Roman Numerals. Ratios are conceptually universal to any species that bothers measuring. Quantification maybe less so. Especially if their comprehension of advanced sciences/engineering is somehow intuitive instead of formally calculated.

If a space faring species has a concept of proportions/ratios, but not individual identity of numbers, presenting Meters as a portion of the speed of light might be a universal way discern the rest of our math. Water as Liters might be more accessible, depending on how they think of water.

Sets and Axioms are purely conceptually representative and so viable as long as they're capable of symbolic abstraction at all.

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