为什么学习数学.doc

Why Study Math 为什么学习数学?（转自临沂师范学院数学系）1.The world is pretty complicated today compared with what it was forty years ago. And its getting more so all the time.今天的世界与40年前的世界相比复杂多了。而且还会越来越复杂。We have to have more and more specially trained people.我们必须拥有越来越多的经过专门训练的人才。We need math to solve the tough problems of science.我们需要数学来解答科学上的难题。We need them to find new ways to conquer disease, to design the machines of industry and the laborsaving gadgets of the home.我们需要数学来找到攻克疑难病症的新方法以及设计工业机器和节省家庭劳动的小发明的新思路。And we need them more and more for the ordinary things of everyday life.我们还越来越需要数学来得到日常生活中的常用东西。2.It takes special training to be a good carpenter, or plumber, or car mechanic.要当一名好的木工、管子工或汽车修理工需经过专门训练。Jobs in electronics require even greater skills.电子技术方面的工作需要更多的技能。We used to think a radio repairman had to have a pretty thorough kind of training.我们通常认为修理收音机(的人)需全面良好的训练。But its even tougher to be a television repairman.但修理电视机(的人)就更复杂了。3.Some of you are probably thinking, Thats all right for technical people.你们中有些人可能在想：“工程技术人员学习数学是对的.But suppose I want to be an artist, a druggist, or a nurse. Suppose I want to go in business for myself. 但是假如我想当艺术家、药剂师、护士，假如我本人想经商，What good will math do me? All right, Lets see.数学对我有什么帮助呢?” 好，让我们看看吧。4.Many artists today are in what is called applied art.今天的许多艺术家都是所谓的应用艺术家。They use their ability in advertising, interior decoration, or some similar job.他们把能力用在广告、室内装璜或某种类似的工作上。But people in business who hire the artists for that kind of work say that simple artistic ability is not enough. 但雇佣艺术家来做上述工作的商界人士说，仅仅有艺术才能是不够的。There are lots of young people who have that. But not enough of them know anything about physics, or mechanical things, or math.许多青年人有艺术才能，但其中懂物理、机械或数学的人不太多。5.To be a druggist you have to study chemistry.要成为药剂师你必须学习化学。You cant learn chemistry without knowing something about algebra.你不懂代数就学不了化学。How about a nurse?要当护士又该如何?One of the required subjects in a course of nursing is known as materia medica.培养护士过程中必修课之一是药物学。In materia medica youll learn how to figure out doses and prepare medicines.在药物学课上你会学会怎样计算出药的剂量和配制药。Algebra is important in doing the figuring.做这些计算代数是重要的。Too many student nurses flunk out of the course because their math is weak.许许多多学护士的学生因为数学底子太差考试不及格而退学。6.Its the same with many trades.许多手工艺也是这样。If you want to be a draftsman, a machinist, a molder, or a patternmaker, youll need algebra and geometry and even trigonometry.如果你想成为手工艺人、缝纫工、造型工或制模工，你需要代数和几何，甚至三角。7.Even if you want to go into business for yourself, youll need math.即使你本人想从商，你也需要数学。Business today, whether its running a little gas station or a big factory, takes good management.今天的工商企业，不论是经营一个小的加油站还是管理一座大工厂，都需要良好的管理。Good management takes mathematics.良好的管理要利用数学。8.And those who are going to keep up the wonderful progress being made in science and engineering need math more than anyone else does.那些想继续保持在科学和工程上已取得惊人进步的人比其他人更需要数学。9.Youve read about those wonderful computers that used today.你已经读过有关今天使用的威力强大的计算机的导报。These are machines that work by electronics to do all sorts of complicated problems in mathematics at terrificspeeds.这些计算机是利用电子技术操作的机器，能以惊人的速度解决各种复杂的数学问题。Maybe you think we should let those machines do our math problem.也许你会想，我们应让这些机器为我们做数学题。If you do,you dont understand the way computers work.如果你这样想了，你就不懂计算机的工作方法了。10.A computer is not better than the human mind that controls it.计算机根本不比控制它的人脑强。Mathematician has to run it.数学工作者必须操作计算机。He has to analyze the problem and set it up. 他必须分析并提出问题。Then he must feed the data into the machine before the machine can solve the problem.然后，他必须把数据输进计算机之后，计算机才能解决这个问题。Computers are a big help. They can make calculations faster than a man can.But they cant do our math for us.计算机是个大帮手。 它比人算的快。 但它不能为我们解数学题。11.Theres something else you shouldnt forget.还有些事你不该忘记。there are lots of times when more math would help you in your everyday affairs.你在日常事物中需要更多数学帮助的时候太多了。A famous British mathematician points out that we live surrounded by figures.一位著名的英国数学家指出，我们生活在被数学包围的环境里。Think of railway timetables, unemployment insurance, taxes, schedules of working hours, speed limits, calories,automobile and truck weights, temperatures, rainfall, miles per gallon, electricity and gas meter readings, bankinterest, parcel post and freight rates, and so on.想想火车时刻表、失业保险、税收、工作时间表、速度限制、热量、汽车和卡车的重量、温度、降雨量、每加仑英里数、电表和煤气表读数、银行利息、邮政包裹和货运率等等。12.But theres one more reason why you should study math now.但是，还有一个你现在应学数学的理由。You may be the kind of person who needs to know something about advanced math to get the mostout of life.你可能成为那种懂得高等数学解决生活中大多数事情的人。Some people go on from day to day, having a good time and not caring much about anything else.有些人一天天地过下去，过得很愉快，不想其它太多的事情。But many people arent content to live that way.但许多人不满意这样生活。Theyre interested in life, and other people, and what makes things happen the way they do.他们对生活和其他人都感兴趣，也对事情那样发生的原因是什么感兴趣。They want to know what makes it snow, what the stars are, and how radio works.他们想知道为什么下雪，星星是什么，收音机是怎样工作的。These people are curious about things.这些人对事事都有好奇心。13.If youre that kind of person, you almost have to learn something about the more advanced branches of math.如果你是那种人，你必须时刻学习更高级的数学分支。There will be no other way to understand the things you become curious about.没有其它的方法能理解你感兴趣的东西。14.Ever since the United States was young, school children have had learn their three Rs. Readin and ritin arecertainly very important.美国曾经是个年轻的国家，学龄儿童必须学习三大课程：读、写和算（术）。读和写的学习当然是非常重要的。But now, as never before, we must be sure that were getting enough rithmetic.但是我们现在再不能像以前那样了，一定要学好算术。Weierstrass（大数学家外尔斯特拉斯，分析数学与函数论的奠基人）：一个数学家，如果他不在某种程度上成为一个诗人，那么他就永远不可能成为一个完美的数学家。(Itistruethatamathematician,whoisnotsomewhatofapoet,willneverbeaperfectmathematician.-KarlWeierstrass,1815-1897)SonyaKovalevskaya(柯娃列弗斯卡娅，俄国美女数学家，对数理力学有大创，外尔斯特拉斯学生，不幸英年早逝，1850-1891，著名国际学报MathematicaAnallen有她的倩照):Manywhohaveneverhadanopportunityofknowinganymoreaboutmathematicsconfounditwitharithmetic,andconsideritanaridscience.Inreality,however,itisasciencewhichrequiresagreatamountofimagination,andoneoftheleadingmathematiciansofourcenturystatesthecasequite-correctlywhenhesaysthatitisimpossibletobeamathematicianwithoutbeingapoetinsoul.Itseemstomethatthepoethasonlytoperceivethatwhichothersdonotperceive,tolookdeeperthanotherslook.Andthemathematicianmustdothesamething.这是对Weierstrass说法的说法。Frege（弗雷格，数理逻辑奠基人之一，谓词逻辑创始人，分析哲学的先驱）：一个好的数学家，至少是半个哲学家；一个好的哲学家，至少是半个数学家。Descartes(笛卡儿，近代理性哲学、近代数学、解析几何、方法论的创始人):哲学与数学的统一：美丽的梦。Poincare:能够作出数学发现的人，是具有感受数学中的秩序、和谐、对称、整齐和神秘美等能力的人，而且只限于这种人。Neumann:归结到关键的论点：我认为数学家无论是选择题材还是判断成功的标准主要都是美学的。Borel:数学在很大程度上是一门艺术，它的发展总是起源于美学准则，受其指导、据以评价的。Lagrange:分析力学=“科学的诗”。A.Weil(韦伊)：数学之所以古怪在于它不能为非数学家理解。JDiudonne(迪厄多内)：创造性的数学家定义为至少发表过一条非平凡定理的证明的人。P.R.Halmos:应用数学是坏数学。J.P.King:数学具有审美的价值，象音乐和诗歌的价值那样清晰明确。Shenitzer:要想发挥数学教育的潜力，在必须注意数学技术方面的同时，还必须注意数学的结构、历史、起源和哲学方面，这样才能取得平衡，不偏不倚。G.Hermann:数学是关于数量关系的科学。粲泛系泛系量化H.Hermann:纯粹形式科学，逻辑和数学，只处理对象的特殊内容或实质之间的关系，特别是那些包含着量、测度和数等等概念的对象之