“the Application of Mathematics in Pre-Columbian Civilizations”

Throughout the humanities course, I have been intrigued by a vast amount of information on different cultures. However, there was a particular section that truly caught my attention, and has piqued an interest in me that has caused me to do my own research aside from this paper. The culture of the Mayas, and the Aztecs has been extremely fundamental in understanding my ancestry, being that I am Mexican American. I took an interest in their beautiful architecture, their ritualistic and sacrificial religious practices, as well as their history and how they began. Throughout this paper I will outline the similarities and differences of these two cultures, as well as articulate an understanding of the humanity disciplines outlined above.

     With 757 foot sides, the largest pyramid at Giza would have been difficult to design with a perfect square base, and yet the base is almost perfect and the difference in side length is only a mere two centimeters. This is an amazing feat for any modern culture, but an impossible one for an ancient culture without the mechanical tools and mathematical knowledge that the aliens had. The aliens used their mathematical genius to work when they created the pyramids. If you take the perimeter of the Great Pyramid, and divide it by two times the height, you get a number that is exactly equivalent to the number Pi, up to the fifteenth digit. It was a number not calculated accurately to the fourth digit until the 6th century. Because of this knowledge, there is no way the Egyptians built the pyramids.

Mathematics has been a part of society ever since its began. Numerous great minds have contributed to the field but one of the most influential mathematicians was Leonardo da Vinci. Genius, renowned and ahead of his time, Leonardo Da Vinci has been called all of these from the time he began changing the world and still is to this day. I chose Leonardo da Vinci to as my scientist because of how progressive da Vinci was within his designs. The power of mathematics and da Vinci’s mind brought humanity amazing new things and ideas. Though Da Vinci is most known for his superior artistic talents, he was also an inventor that incorporated mathematics into designs that were hundreds of years ahead of their time. The invention of a battle tank, robots and diving suits are all accredited to Leonardo da Vinci.

Long before any white man ever set foot in this hemisphere, there were fully functional and highly developed societies here. These civilizations were sophisticated, could even be considered more advanced than the European nations at the time. While the rest of the Eastern world was in the dark Middle Ages, the people here were flourishing.

‘Cogito Ergo Sum,’ - ‘I think therefore I am ‘ one of the most famous and well known quotes or arguments in all of modern philosophy; a phrase instantly recognizable to all those studying in the field of philosophy. This phrase refers to an attempt by Descartes to prove with absolute certainty his own existence; a systematic way to philosophize. The argument, while first proposed by ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Saint Augustine, was utilized as an argument by French philosopher Rene Descartes in his influential text “Meditations on First Philosophy“. This argument appears in the books second meditation and provides the cornerstone for Descartes argument in the following five meditations and serves as the basis for Descartes overall metaphysical thesis, without which Descartes reasoning system would collapse. Throughout this paper I will

Subsequently, I will attempt to counter possible criticisms with a profounder understanding of Descartes' meaning in the “Meditations on the First Philosophy.” Finally, I will offer a concluding argument that I think correctly reflects and encapsulates my aversion towards Descartes' declaration, “I think, therefore I am.”

In his first meditation, Descartes proposes that the beliefs that are built upon societal foundations may be false; societal foundations being that in which we have accepted to be true in the masses. The first meditation is the beginning of doubt for Descartes. In the text, questionable doubt lurks in the world within our senses, knowledge, and false beliefs. In this paper, I will explain why Descartes attempts to rebuild the foundations of our beliefs and explain the differences between the reality of Descartes and the socially accepted reality. First, I will expand on Descartes' argument against the human senses in which we do not question. Then, I will show you how Descartes defines what is truly a definitive constant of reality using mathematics,

“Cogito ergo sum;” I think therefore I am. This philosophical statement stimulated a renaissance in the field of philosophy, creating modern Western philosophy as is known today. This important notion was dictated by Rene Descartes in his 1641 metaphysics work, Mediations on First Philosophy, and influenced all modern philosophical works written after Descartes revolutionary achievement. This work was written at a time when modern physics was being developed as a mathematization of nature. The principles of metaphysics contain in Meditations were developed in order to serve as the basis for this new system of physics. In it, Descartes refutes many Aristotelian beliefs that were popular and accepted by the clergy for nearly the entirety of

First, the Maya pyramids are constructed symmetrically in order for them to stand for thousands of years. You can also tell that “Temple I in the great plaza,” was constructed symmetrically by drawing a line down the middle of the piece of artwork and you can see that it is exactly the same on both sides. I have actually been to the pyramids of chichen itza, which is similar to “Temple I in the great plaza,” and I was able to walk up the pyramid and it was so fascinating to be able to see how these pyramids and temples were made. The amount of time and energy that was put into these was so fascinating just in order for these pyramids and temples to stay constructed and stay constructed for so long. There were a lot of engineering and mathematical skills that were put into making “Temple I in the great plaza,” in order for the structure to be so

Rene Descartes was an anatomist, Philosopher and French mathematician. One of Descartes famous quotes stated, “Cogito ergo sum. (I think; therefore I am.)” (Quotations) Descartes was born in La Hayne, Touraine, France on March 31, 1594 to an upper- class family. He died on February 11, 1650 in Stockholm, Sweden of Pneumonia.

Rene Descartes was a mathematic specialist and also he specialized in science. He introduced a new vision of the world that involves the mind and the body in philosophy, which was the most important achievement. He said that the body and mind are different from each other: “Next I examined attentively what I was. I saw that while I could pretend that I had no body and that there was no world and no place for me to be in, I could not for all that pretend that I did not exist. I saw on the contrary that from the mere fact that I thought of doubting the truth of other things, it followed quite evidently and certainly that I existed; whereas if I had merely ceased thinking, even if everything else I had ever imagined had been true, I should have had no reason to believe that I existed. From this I knew I was a substance whose whole essence or nature is simply to think, and which does not require any place, or depend on any material thing, in order to exist.”

With the emergence of the scientific revolution in the 17th century, views of society and nature were transformed throughout Europe. There were great developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry. The world and its views were changing, and with that change, came a new change in thought, a new change in philosophy. Apart from ancient Greek philosophy, which was centered on finding order in a vast variety of things by searching for a fundamental amalgamating principle, Descartes sought to establish order via some fundamental division. Descartes understands and expresses that what we know about our mind is more definite than what we know about the world outside our mind. Descartes’

Mathematics has always been described as the purest science and considered as one of the most important aspects in many countries around the world, especially developed countries. Theoretically, the most significant requirements for a life of a mathematician is the mathematical ability. Nevertheless, very few women get involve in this field, which creates a myth, and slowly develops into a stereotype in society, that women are naturally not good at math. However, many people would be surprised, that “the world’s greatest living mathematician for a time was a women” (Deakin 13). Hypatia of Alexandria was, indeed, a physically beautiful woman who used her talent and intelligence to defy the stereotypes against

Dr. Montessori said that man is provided with an innate power "The Mathematical Mind". She takes this term of the French mathematic, physic and philosopher Blass Pascal (1623-1662), who was the first to say that the human mind naturally has the characteristic of being mathematical and if you think for a minute we see that all progress man has developed is because the human mind has a propensity for accuracy, order

Mathematics has contributed to the alteration of technology over many years. The most noticeable mathematical technology is the evolution of the abacus to the many variations of the calculator. Some people argue that the changes in technology have been for the better while others argue they have been for the worse. While this paper does not address specifically technology, this paper rather addresses influential persons in philosophy to the field of mathematics. In order to understand the impact of mathematics, this paper will delve into the three philosophers of the past who have contributed to this academic. In this paper, I will cover the views of three philosophers of mathematics encompassing their