KARACHI:
Around the world, the International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is celebrated as Pi day each year.
Pi can be understood as the ratio of the distance travelled across a circle passing from the centre to the distance covered in going all the way around. The approximate value of Pi is 3.14 because of which 14th March is dedicated to mathematics and relevant activities.
However, one day is not enough to emphasise the importance of the subject. Mathematics has been an essential area of knowledge throughout the history of mankind. The history of the evolution of mankind and the development of mathematical concepts have been synchronous. From ancient civilisations including Babylon, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Chines to the golden era of Muslims until the current age of the digital revolution, mathematics has maintained the central position in every area of knowledge.
In many real-world problems, mathematics has been highly significant in understanding the logic underlying limitless processes and phenomena. From grocery shopping to financial management, counting to experimental sciences, information technology, cryptography, patterns to understanding nature, simple manipulations to decision-making techniques, mental exercises to developing advanced models and leisure games, etc., are all the aspects of such endless applications. Academia and society need to promote mathematics to endorse a logical approach. We need to acknowledge the important role of mathematics to understand historical and modern phenomena. Academia should partner with different departments and organisations to address emerging global issues such as climate change, energy scarcity, the outbreak of pandemics, sustainable development, artificial intelligence, etc, through a mathematical lens.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2023.
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