

Kill Math using Data Visualization - americandesi333
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664508/could-this-ipad-interface-help-kill-math

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iamdave
I think this comment said it best:

 _I think it's important to maintain a distinction between the syntax needed
to actively do math, and that needed to passively visualize it. Of course
these types of visualizations are great, but people aren't going to be solving
differential equations on their iPads anytime soon..._

It's a tall drink of water to say you're going to 'kill math' if really, all
that is happening is a divergence from the so-called 'interface'. I think that
interface is vastly more relevant than visualizations when it comes to
understanding how to think an equation through, and just as importantly
understand why arriving at a certain answer matters.

I'm not sure I'm too thrilled about this idea, but perhaps I'm
misunderstanding it.

Also: From the ideator's own blog (<http://worrydream.com/KillMath/>):

 _analyzing a differential equation without exploring it in phase space was
like analyzing a piece of sheet music without actually hearing it._

Terrible analogy, since most musicians do this _all the time_. It's called
sight reading, and it's a very valuable skill to have. (citation: former
concert trombone player)

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americandesi333
The vision behind this (I think) is to make math accessible to common man by
taking away the abstract nature of teaching and understanding math theorems.

Human brain responds to associations that explain things using something you
can relate to or easily visualize. The archaic nature of math doesn't lend
itself to do that unfortunately. The variable 'x' is just a made up concept
with no grounding in realism. Data visualization on the other hand triggers
human brain to make association, therefore making it easier to understand
math.

Math is of no use unless put in practice...

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jgamman
I think it's more like scaffolding. After a while you find the symbols are
just fine but why have such a steep barrier to entry? Fell-man wasnt too happy
with Feynman diagrams - he hated them for ,bringing computation to the
masses,. I think learning maths visually would greatly increase the pool of
future math-literates in the world. Not all of us want to be professors at a
university

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_delirium
This reminds me a bit of some of the "visual mathematics" ideas from the 70s,
associated with mathematicans like
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Abraham> and with some computer artists

