Mathematics: How to Build Your Own Reality (Under 18s)

**Under 18s**

What is mathematics? How mathematicians think about problems? How to ask a mathematician a good question, how to give a good answer, and how to prove them to be true? In this course you won’t learn how to solve crazy complicated equations or how to find integrals of complex functions. Rather we are going to learn how to mathematize abstract concepts like symmetry or how to build our own algebra. We will be more interested in what forms does mathematics takes, what sort of problems is it solving now and how can we describe the world using the language mathematics provides.

During the course we are going to discuss these ideas, work in groups on selected problems, and learn how to formulate mathematical statements. This will be sometimes combined with short lecture, where the covered material will be explained.

This course doesn’t require familiarity with calculus although it might help. The general knowledge of functions and mathematical logic should be enough.

Course leader

Juraj Labant

Target group

High school students

Course aim

Learn how to mathematize abstract concepts like symmetry or how to build our own algebra. We will be more interested in what forms does mathematics takes, what sort of problems is it solving now and how can we describe the world using the language mathematics provides.