I did (failed) ‘A’ level pure maths many years ago but I can’t for the life of me remember exactly why I did it. I can remember it was rather an enjoyable thing to study, but what is it’s purpose? Or doesn’t it really have one apart from being just an arty way of playing with theory?
For some reason I’ve decided to have another go at it so any recommendations for books on the subject are welcome.

Serious?

The cat in the hat might be a good starting point from the sounds of it.

Absolutely nothin’. Say it again.

I’ve only just learnt to count, that might be stretching it a bit.

It has a huge use!

The area I work in relies on parts of pure maths to help understand how things work.

Just cos you failed it doesn’t mean it’s useless.

I’m good at doing nothing, so should pass this time then.

Pure maths is for calculating the finer things in life like the appreciation in value on a fine bottle of wine, or the increase in marital pleasure from getting your wife a new pair of expensive shoes.

Normal maths is for miles per gallon, or calorie counting.

Dirty maths is used for those ‘if I pay for her chips will she let me touch her monkey?’ kind of things…

I’m not saying its useless DrRSAhem, I just don’t know how you take it into the real world and, er, apply it.

Thanks Crikey, a much better explanation than Wiki!

Pure maths is the only kind of maths you want to bother with. Stats, game theory, mechanics, numerical methods, et al – they’re just pretending to be maths.

Pure maths is the only subject in the world that is 100% undisputed truth.

I studied discrete maths, pure maths and statistics.

The analytical tools gained from studying two of these told me that pure maths was infact a complete waste of time, so I dropped it.

Never looked back. Let the nerds inherit the earth tell me about the angles in a triangle and piss about with algebra.

I got a “B” in A-level Pure Maths in 1984.

HTH.

To help solve problems like this 😕

That’s physics, and it would.

😀

The pure maths you study at ‘A’ level is very widely applied, in fact without we would still be struggling to build bridges over anything other than a narrow river. The stuff you will have learnt at ‘A’ level is basis for all engineering, finance, fluid dynamics thermo dynamics, the world. Pretty much all science relies on maths.

More generally pure maths and Applied maths and theoretical physics feed off of each other one giving in inspiration to the other the other offering new solution to perversely unsolved problems.

Pure maths is also research in it’s own right however we never know what applications some discovers in pure maths may have. Pure maths frequently takes decades if not probably 100s of years or more to trickle down and find an application. In many way pure maths is sometimes rediscover by other but the hard work of establishing a theory and relationships has already been done.

Some pure maths may never have applications and many people who research pure maths don’t look for them when carrying out research. It all adds to our knowledge of maths which is probably the most powerful tool we have to understand the world.

I just don’t know how you take it into the real world and, er, apply it.

You don’t 🙂

And people get far too hung up on this square root of -1 thing. That’s not the point at all. The small i is an operator that means that when you square the number, it’s negative. That’s all. There’s nothing to get your head round.

I studied Calculus, Algebra and Real Analysis as part of my degree (Computing Science).

Algebra was directly applicable to my main area of study; calculus I could actually understand (20 years ago); but analysis – not got the foggiest what it was all about, even if it was a “dumbed down” version with no complex numbers.

I must admit that although I got a Grade A GCSE in maths my teacher at the time (1978) reckoned it wasn’t worth me studying A level as I didn’t have the aptitude. ’tis probably why I struggle with C#.

+1 what TheBrick said.

People discover things in pure maths that don’t get used in a practical sense for ages. They just get left in a paper somewhere until physics/engineering/electronics/chemistry suddenly realize they can use it to do something.

RealMan – Member

Pure maths is the only kind of maths you want to bother with. Stats, game theory, mechanics, numerical methods, et al – they’re just pretending to be maths.

Pure maths is the only subject in the world that is 100% undisputed truth.

Yep pure maths are is the only areas of science where thinks can not change. The theory of evolution may be tweaked, Newtonian mechanics can be found not to work for all scales, but pure maths shows pure relationships which which are truth.

Although I don’t agree with that stats, mechanics e.t.c are playing at being maths as they are developing and feeding pure maths as they are still looking at relationships which are usually no real world and involve abstract situations e.t.c.

stuartie_c – Member
I studied Calculus, Algebra and Real Analysis as part of my degree (Computing Science).

Algebra was directly applicable to my main area of study; calculus I could actually understand (20 years ago); but analysis – not got the foggiest what it was all about, even if it was a “dumbed down” version with no complex numbers.

Analysis can be very useful in categorising problems in a sense and finding their true scope so that you can ascertain if the is existence or uniqueness of a solution for example. This is all a necessary step in solving many problems.

One of the clay institute million dollar prizes is to better understand where and when solutions of the Navier – Stokes equations excist (or don’t).

Pure maths helped give millions of people their freedom from WW2, by enabling Alan Turing and his team break the German’s Enigma Code at Bletchley Park.

But dirty maths got me a touch of monkey…..

Well, for my mates missus it was the route into a lucrative career globe trotting for a major multinational via their graduate entry scheme.

Reckon she should be back from a week kicking ass at their Singapore office today, so she may have just found out that their child benefit is going to be axed!

I did pure maths A level, I work in marketing now, but it is still very very useful. But Statistics is a little more important in my line of work

RealMan – Member
That’s physics, and it would.

No it wouldn’t. The wings would hit the uprights.

No it wouldn’t. The wings would hit the uprights.

You’re missing the whole point of the treadmill. It’s solely there in order to prevent the plane hitting the uprights by achieving take-off speed whilst staying stationary.

Maths rule.

More on the monkey touching math!

That’s physics, and it would.

Oh, I loved the last time we did this. I was so clever everyone else thought I was being stupid 🙂

Adulterated Maths is much more fun.

I think I’ve misunderstood that thing about Shakespeare and infinite monkeys …

“prithee, m’lady, wouldst like a chip ?”

Laplace Transforms, Fourier Series.
The months spent on this crap on my Mech Eng degree would have been better spent elsewhere, without a doubt.

But Laplace and Fourier are things of beauty… and how else are you going to convert between the time and frequency domains without them?

:o)

It’s vector calculus that I never could quite get my head around… divs, grads, curls and all that!

Christ I haven’t seen the words ‘vector calculus’ together for 13 years 🙂

Thankfully I haven’t had to write them down for at least that long…

In fact, I’m not sure it was such a good idea to do so, it’s giving me cold sweats just thinking about it!

I never could quite get my head around… divs, grads, curls and all that!

divs and grads were fine, curls was the bit that stumped me

Pure Maths was my favourite subject at A-level, oh and playing pool/craps/bridge as part of Applied Maths lessons.

Mythbusters proved an aircraft can take off from a conveyor belt by actually doing it. Didn’t need no fancy maths just a long strip of canvas dragged down a runway with a plane travelling in the opposite direction and it took off. Simples.

What’s a monkey?