- Image via Wikipedia
Math is confusing enough. Why are there so many formulas filled not just with numbers, but with letters too? Algebra and geometry, two separate disciplines, are well-known for mixing letters and numbers into the most basic, fundamental equations. Numbers like Pi, E and number-rich formulas (E=mc², anyone?) make math seem even more like a foreign language, an incomprehensible subject, an insurmountable feat. But Andrew Grothendieck didn’t look at it that way, and anyone can learn how to master some his tricks and his approaches to the world of mathematics.
Grothendieck was a pioneer in the fields of algebra and geometry. Well-known in academic and mathematic circles, Grothendieck was a strangely reclusive math hero, who spent his entire life studying his favorite subject. Grothendieck was also a man of strong political and social convictions, which may have contributed to his eventual refusal of all prizes and rewards in the world of academic math. What Grothendieck stood for mathematically is much simpler to grasp: study the numbers, play with the numbers, have fun with the numbers. Math doesn’t have to be scary-in fact, it can be kind of great.
Understanding math is the first step toward having fun with it, and there are few people who understand math as well as Andrew Grothendieck. In algebraic and geometrical equations, the letters are actually representative of numbers. Some of the letters, like Pi, have a specific and known numeric value. Most of the numbers, such as the popular x and y, represent unknown variables. Using algebraic formulas to discover these unknowns is a little bit like solving a mystery-and it is kind of fun to have that kind of power over numbers.
When numbers and letters combine in a single problem, things start to look more complex than they really are. Remember that all the letters are really just numbers, usually secret numbers that are just waiting to be discovered.
