Is mathematics discovered or invented? The answer is primarily based on what you define ‘mathematics’ is. In one, maths can be described as being discovered, as numbers were always around. Form our recent studies in class of the golden ratio and golden spiral, it is evident that these have always been around in nature, we just needed to find them, not invent them. Hence one side of saying maths can be discovered.
But on the other hand, maths can also be invented. Based on a simple analogy of creating something from something already discovered. Are you really discovering something? Or inventing something new. From the computer analogy given in class by none other than Joshua Luong, a computer is made from raw materials already discovered. So did you discover the computer or actually invented the computer? We can take this into terms of maths. The formula for Pythagoras’ Theorem. We had built up to that from numbers, which were discovered, but the formula was invented as it was not previously noticed or made.
So in conclusion, the discovery and invention of mathematics can vary, depending on how you interpret ‘mathematics’ as a whole. I personally think that maths, and all of its components, is invented.
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