Hi, Eddie Wu is a famous YouTube math instructor
who gave a TED Talk called Mathematics is the
Sense You Never Knew You Had. One of the things
I appreciate about Eddie is that he believes
that everyone has a math brain because all of
us naturally recognize patterns. But Eddie goes
even further. He suggests that doing mathematics
creates a new sense within us. that allows us
to see the world in a different way. Eddie says
that we begin noticing patterns in life, patterns
that appear in winding rivers, towering trees,
spiral shelves, and raging storms. As Eddie says,
there is a mathematical reality woven into the
fabric of the universe that we share with the
world around us. Life changes. when we become
aware of those patterns. And that awareness becomes
like a new dimension in our lives. And the connections
inside mathematics itself are equally remarkable.
For instance, we often think of algebra and geometry
as completely different subjects. In algebra,
we may begin with the equation y equals x squared.
But then we graph the equation and suddenly...
we see a parabola, the same shape traced by a
golf ball flying through the air. Or we can create
that same parabola geometrically by slicing a
cone at an angle. Or, if x represents the side
length of a square, we can think of y equals
x squared as describing how the area of a square
changes as its side length changes. And what
fascinates me is that the graph now lets us see
that change continuously. Rather than isolated
squares with fixed side lengths, we now see a
flowing, changing relationship. We see squares
in motion. We often take graphing equations for
granted. But it was a revolutionary idea. An
equation was no longer just symbols on a page.
It now had a shape. The mathematician Paul Lockhart
captures this beautifully when he says that every
algebraic equation now has a look to it. Something
once abstract suddenly became visible. And this
transformed mathematics in a profound way. Algebra
often gives us discrete information, plug in
an X, solve for a Y. But geometry introduces
motion, curves, surfaces, and continuous change.
For example, if we solve two equations with two
unknowns algebraically, we find a solution. But
if we graph both equations, the solution becomes
something visual, the intersection of two curves.
Yes, both perspectives matter. Together, they
create a deeper understanding than either perspective
by itself. And to me, this is where mathematics
feels less like isolated branches and more like
a living connected tree. Algebra and geometry
are not competing subjects. They are different
ways of seeing the same underlying reality. And
we see this in life if we compare what we learn
by reading something compared to experiencing
something. Reading can give me knowledge, but
experience can give me understanding and perspective.
Reading about love is different from loving someone.
Reading about grief is different from losing
someone. When knowledge and perspective come
together, we begin developing what Eddie describes,
a new sense of seeing reality. And seeing this
new reality can transform knowledge into wisdom.
So my thought to end today is thinking about
where does wisdom come from? Perhaps wisdom does
not come from separating life into disconnected
categories. But perhaps it comes from learning
how the branches connect to the larger living
whole.