Mathematics:
Queen of the Sciences
Mathematics can best be described as a language skill. It is the language that people use to communicate with one another when precision and rigor are required, such as in most fields of Science or Engineering. It is worth noting that this description is a metaphor, and so I could not make that statement using Mathematics. Mathematics is a language of precision and rigor, with no ambiguity allowed. As such, it is limited in what can be discussed, but it also, in theory, removes all ambiguities. Early Mathematics (numbers, arithmetic, addition, subtraction, etc.) is the vocabulary used by this language, while Geometry and early Algebra are similar to punctuation and basic sentence structure. Advanced Algebra and Precalculus are where students begin to learn how to put together something similar to a paragraph.
Here, a student learns how to translate a problem stated in his or her own language (in this case, English) into the language of Mathematics in order to solve the problem and produce a valid answer. These tasks are the so-called “word problems.” This translation process is one of the most difficult parts of learning a new language. This fact is why “word problems” are so difficult for many students. We hope to help parents and students overcome some of these issues.
Mathematics Courses
Courses in Mathematics are taught by Dr. Diener.