Australia 19, United Kingdom 26, United States 36.
In French it’s a real plural, les mathématiques, but a real plural, which is used with plural verbs.
There’s a famous series of books written by a collective of mathematicians working under the pseudonym Nicolas Bourbaki called Éléments de mathématique. Wikipedia has this to say about it:
“The strange singular “mathématique” in the title is deliberate, to convey the authors’ belief that the material is a unity, contrary to what conventional form of the title might suggest. Conversely, the title Éléments d’histoire des mathématiques by the same authors employs the plural to indicate that before Bourbaki, mathematics was a set of scattered disciplines, and that the modern notion of structure has allowed their unification.”
I believe the common Latin word was mathesis, from the Greek. Mathematica would have been a neuter plural adjective: things related to mathematics.
When I was in high school I found most of the mass classes singularly annoying.
Um, I wrote “MATH classes.”
Singularly? Is that a math pun (i.e. singularities of functions in the complex plane, singular perturbation theory for calculating orbits in the pre computer days)?
“Maths” in an Australian context is absolutely correct, because it denotes Australian Mathematics, which are different from regular math. (Thus, a different name is used.)
Why? Because Australia, to this very day, stubbornly clings to being upside-down. Thus, in Australia, 5+9 = 11, because a 9 to us is a 6 to them. For proof of this, simply look at a 9 on your monitor, then rotate the screen to Australian orientation (upside down).
BTW, how are your comms working?
In the planes I used to fly, having (plural) comms working was on the minimum equipment list.
Well, what do you expect from peoples who talks funny?
Well, it’s called “mathematics” not “mathematic”. Q.E.D.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment#2012
Australia 19, United Kingdom 26, United States 36.
In French it’s a real plural, les mathématiques, but a real plural, which is used with plural verbs.
There’s a famous series of books written by a collective of mathematicians working under the pseudonym Nicolas Bourbaki called Éléments de mathématique. Wikipedia has this to say about it:
“The strange singular “mathématique” in the title is deliberate, to convey the authors’ belief that the material is a unity, contrary to what conventional form of the title might suggest. Conversely, the title Éléments d’histoire des mathématiques by the same authors employs the plural to indicate that before Bourbaki, mathematics was a set of scattered disciplines, and that the modern notion of structure has allowed their unification.”
I believe the common Latin word was mathesis, from the Greek. Mathematica would have been a neuter plural adjective: things related to mathematics.
When I was in high school I found most of the mass classes singularly annoying.
Um, I wrote “MATH classes.”
Singularly? Is that a math pun (i.e. singularities of functions in the complex plane, singular perturbation theory for calculating orbits in the pre computer days)?
“Maths” in an Australian context is absolutely correct, because it denotes Australian Mathematics, which are different from regular math. (Thus, a different name is used.)
Why? Because Australia, to this very day, stubbornly clings to being upside-down. Thus, in Australia, 5+9 = 11, because a 9 to us is a 6 to them. For proof of this, simply look at a 9 on your monitor, then rotate the screen to Australian orientation (upside down).
BTW, how are your comms working?
In the planes I used to fly, having (plural) comms working was on the minimum equipment list.