Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-02-17
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.
The utly Of Mathematics by supA D. r. Anon-rh-o'y Of
Concentration as Applied In tho Utah Jnv-rsiy
Again o'sidorod

ca py ,o'' 80 a. - -. "a, a..
Ing OF the Malnehlal'l" a''''9
Utah University!
nh. value Of Mathematics may DE
r,nsidered from three main points OF
yiev. drst purely MS means OF intellect
,,oi raining and development second,
ss n r,rans of acquiring knowledge Boo
oiher subierts. third. Tor iU practical
,,s.i,,i,ese la the daily affairs OF ufe
a confederation ol each OF these
divisions h equally interesting. but
L,,,, chosen 40 brie1y discuss the first.
,,.r,.d diysign. promuicd perhaps. by
rcr,srts heard about thc University
bnidipg and elsewhere, conveying The
No. tbat mathematical study. beyond a
tnowicdge of arithmetic. and "a very
cicrrntSrv knowlcdsc OF algebra aud
,onv,.ir,, A. considered Of but lili.e
Ssiur no tbose persons who do not Boo.
,end ia ,,irstie somc avacaiion of life iu
,gbirb rathematicli science Is specially
snniisj
III Inc presentation of this article will
b,in ,n correct ma erroneous idea. and
10 irppfcss any pcrson with the value OF
,nstbim.ties as a disciplinary subject.
ibe prrparatiop of ID will not
No. neon In vain.
In ,e,cbing numbers 10 Young children
objects are i'm used. by means OF which
me child Learns to count and lu perform
Inc simpler operations in arithmetic. lu
n mon lime the mind rr,sps the idea OF
ono ar moro and thc association Of tle
objects viii the language of arithmetic
h nd longer necessary. for the mind
non, ,yorle INDEPENDENTLY ol the scusi.
lie objects. and when these ideas arc
onee clearly understood. the perception
of thr sensibls objects gradually fades
away and the mind retains only the 40.
gtraet ideas which IL uses with cicaucss
and facility. ntbe presentation OF each
new subject In arithmetic. the wise
teacher uses guch objects and illusira-
,io,s a. ,yiii giv, ia the mind clear and
distinct nations of the pfinriplcs Intro.
duerd but when The mind once clearly
eomprchends these principles. the use
of objects 4 no Longer necessary, ior the
mind hag absiractcd the ideas rom the
obiertq and works hcncelofth purely
with he ideal.
"a In aigrbrn where the quantities
considered Are repfescntcd by dc letters
of M alpbabet. objects arc again used
10 give 40 tbe mind clcnr and dsuncis
ideas of the things considered. bul as
soon AZ thrsr ijeas are ATTAINED. the
mind no longer make use of Inc objects
but worls entirely by means OF the
symbois.
The same process takes place in &c.
ometry. Defnitions and PRINCIPLES arc
Illustrated by means of objects and
drawings. The rght line may first be
presented 10 the mind AS a black mark
on paper or a chalk mari. on the black.
board 10 impress the geomctrieal defni.
lion that "a straight line does no,
change its direction between any two OF
itg points" When this definition Z
clearly fixed In tbe mind ID need, no
further AID from the eve. for the image
Is forever imprinted.
Space Is indefinite extension in which
all bodies are situated. A solid. or body
is any portion of space having the tire
dimensions OF length, breadth, an,
thickness. To give 10 the mind the tru,
conception OF solid. the aid OF the eye
may al first be necessary; but the idea
being once impressed. that solid in i
strictly mathematical sense. means only
portion Of space. and has no rrfcrenc,
10 the matter with which the space may
be filled, the mind turns away from the
material object, and dwells alone ON the
ideal.
Il Is an interesting fact that. although
mathematics deals with quantity in rs
general sense. vet the language of maihc.
matics Is so constructed that the inyesti.
cations are pcrsued without the slightest
reference 10 the quantity AS material
substance. a systcm OF symbols by
which quantity can be rcprcscnted has
been adopted. forming a language for