Dr Raj Shree Dhar
In Mathematics there is a perfect reality, a realm of God, of which our familiar world is but an imperfect reflection. A mathematician is like a poet or painter… Hardy But Mathematics is more than poetry or painting as poetry or painting takes us to imaginary worlds which might be wrong as Dante’s Divine Comedy based upon Ptolemaic astronomy. But Mathematics is the basis of universe and every modern research. Poetry refines only our aesthetic sense while Mathematics finds unexpected and hitherto unknown discoveries. I believe that we should know more and more about our immense Universe in which we float like an infinitesimal dust particle.
Mathematical Sciences are all sciences which are not dependent on guess work, conjectures or authoritative utterances of a human being. They are primarily mathematical in nature depending on proofs and logically arrived derivations.
Mankind remained centered on guesswork ideas for a number of centuries and did not devote time to discover by actual observation and intelligence, the real nature of the external world.
It was in Alexandria around 300 BC that significant sections of the progeny of men began the intellectual adventure. This led the mankind enquire into the true nature of things. Gradually we came to know that this world and all the stars, sun and planets are the results of extraordinary supreme intelligence. The city was founded by Alexander the Great and constructed by his bodyguard.
The greatest marvel of Alexandria was the library and its museum. This library was once the brain and glory of the greatest city on the planet, the first research institute in the world. The scholars of the library studied the entire Cosmos, as opposed to Chaos. The community of scholars contemplated on varied subjects. For example astronomer Hipparchus estimated the brightness of the stars, Euclid systematized Geometry, Dionsius defined the study of languages, the physiologist Herophillus established that the brain is the seat of intelligence, Heron of Alexandria wrote Automata, the first book on robots. Of that legendry library, only a few smouldered shelves are the only testimony of its existence.
The Greek kings of Egypt who succeeded Alexander were serious about learning. For centuries, they supported the research and maintained the library for the best minds of the age.
Inquiry based on mathematical science step by step found that Universe is not a guess work or illogical derivations. Right from DNA structure in the nucleus of the living cell, the structure of the spiral of galaxies, laws of force and motion, Newton’s laws of Gravitation governing the attraction between interstellar bodies are the precious achievements of human thought.
Newton, inventor of Differential and Integral calculus was fascinated by light. Born on Christmas day, 1642 he was one of the greatest scientific geniuses. Newton discovered the Law of Inertia, the tendency of an object to continue in rest or motion moving in a straight line unless some external force compels it to change its state. It seemed to Newton that Moon will fly off in a straight line tangential to its orbit but the Earth is constantly pulling the Moon towards it by the Force of gravity. The same law of gravitation applies everywhere in the Universe. There was once a time when Earth was hot sphere of molten material. After about 4 billion years it has cooled to wonder exciting sphere of continents and oceans, varied climates, innumerable forms of life with man as highest form of evolved life.
We are supremely adapted to the environment of the Earth as we evolved here. All life on Earth is closely related. We have a common organic chemistry.
Ten thousand years ago, there were no dairy cows, or the fields of rice, wheat and cereals, beautiful flowers and fruits. Paleontology established the millions of creatures existed in enormous numbers but evolution of species made them to vanish through millions of years. Evolution is a fact not a theory. Mechanism of Evolution was studied by Charles Darwin in 1809-82, who propounded the theory of evolution in his monumental book titled Evolution of Species.
Similarly a stage reached when formulas related to atom and molecule was mathematically enunciated by Avagadro and others. Various specimens of life came into existence due to laws of heredity which was mathematically investigated by Gregor Mendel (1822-84). To enunciate the importance of Mathematics, Einstein has said that God does not play dice with the Universe. Creativity is such as does not permit conjectural or off hand interpretations of the Universal phenomena. As Mathematics advanced, the method of calculating trillions of trillions entities could be carried away by Computer science. It took Johnvon Neumann hard intelligent labour for years to find the basis of modern computer.
For unknown ages, after the outpouring of matter and energy, there was no life. There was a small world, the Earth, which released hydrogen, methane, oxygen and water. Gradually, life began with single cell plants. These single cells banded together to form complex cells. Plants and animals found congenial environmental conditions for further development.
According to Shaivism :‘‘I’’ i.e myself is endowed with power of willing, action and creation, resolution and memory. This objectivity has sprung from, is reflected in me and is not separate from me. Sometimes we hear that the speed of thought can travel faster than light.
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