Mathematics (colloquially, maths, or math),
is the body of knowledge centered on concepts
such as quantity, structure, space, and
change, and also the academic discipline
that studies them. Benjamin Peirce called
it "the science that draws necessary
conclusions". Mathematics is the
science of pattern, that mathematicians
seek out patterns whether found in numbers,
space, science, computers, imaginary abstractions,
or elsewhere.
Through the use of abstraction and logical
reasoning, mathematics evolved from counting,
calculation, measurement, and the systematic
study of the shapes and motions of physical
objects. Mathematicians explore such concepts,
aiming to formulate new conjectures and
establish their truth by rigorous deduction
from appropriately chosen axioms and
definitions.
Knowledge and use of basic mathematics
have always been an inherent and integral
part of individual and group life. Refinements
of the basic ideas are visible in mathematical
texts originating in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia,
ancient India, ancient China, and ancient
Greece. Rigorous arguments first appear
in Euclid's Elements. The development
continued in fitful bursts until the Renaissance
period of the 16th century, when mathematical
innovations interacted with new scientific
discoveries, leading to an acceleration
in research that continues to the present
day.
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