Love Maths? Problem solved!

Collage by Finn Souter with images by Elchinator from Pixabay

Arshia Prizadeh immerses himself in a subject that brings logic and meaning to his and everyone else’s life

I first got interested in Mathematics at the age of 12, when I was at school in Scotland. I’d just moved to the United Kingdom from Iran and I couldn’t speak much English, but I understood Maths very well from day one.

It was the only subject that I actually wanted to have homework for because I found it so gratifying.

Sometimes I write out random sequences and then set about discovering the link between each term. When people hear the word Mathematics, they might immediately think about numbers and perhaps of x and y. When I hear it, I think of logic; using logic to help me make good decisions that will impact my future.

Without applying logic to your decisions, it can be like shooting an arrow through a very thick fog called confusion, in the hope of hitting the target. Wouldn’t it be better to know where to aim and then shoot the arrow?

Mathematics is not all about large sums or multiplications; it’s also about looking at our universe from new perspectives and trying to make sense of it.

Mathematics is a language and a way of thinking that we have invented that fits perfectly with nature. Have you ever stopped and looked closely at the amazing shapes and patterns all around us?

Without Maths how would we understand the physics of our world, its chemistry and in turn everything about it?

Many examples of the Fibonacci sequence, where the next number in the sequence is formed from adding the previous two numbers, are found in nature. It’s one of the most famous formulas in Mathematics and can be seen in the basic structures of plants, e.g. in the petals of a rose, or the arms of a starfish.

In art, Leonardo da Vinci’s aesthetic proportions of the human are described by ratios of Fibonacci numbers; termed the golden ratio.

Without Maths how would we understand the physics of our world, its chemistry and in turn everything about it? Advancements in science, including computer science, wouldn’t have been possible without using Mathematics.

The simple equation F=ma was used by mathematicians as a steppingstone to put man on the Moon in 1969.

I find it reassuring and consoling that there is only one right answer for a Maths problem and so, when proved, no one can disagree with it.

However, this doesn’t mean there is only one method to reach a correct conclusion. There is usually a stronger method, which uses a more efficient process, to get there. The way people can approach the same question differently yet reach an identical endpoint is just beautiful, and another reason why I love Mathematics.

With an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, you can pretty much specialise in any area you want

The main benefit of studying Maths for me is that I just get totally absorbed in it. It makes me feel happy and connected to life, to be solving problems and finding solutions.

Doing something that gives you a sense of purpose, in my opinion, is worth a lot; finding what you enjoy brings you satisfaction and is an essential part of living happily.

There is no scientific field that is not dependent on Maths. Let me tell you something about A-level Further Maths. The course is so popular amongst employers and universities that having this qualification puts you at the top of their list.

An A-level in Maths and Further Maths can help you to get into Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Natural Sciences, Chemistry and pretty much all other scientific subjects.

Going ahead, if you do an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, you can pretty much specialise in any area that you want, even a PhD in Cancer Studies!

Maths, like most subjects, requires hard work, patience and discipline, but I guess all you Maths lovers out there will know that nothing feels quite as good as solving a very tricky Maths problem!