There is a mathematics of similarities and directions that’s different from the mathematics of numbers.

“The idea is to go from numbers to information to understanding.”
– Hans Rosling, physician

Mathematics has little to do with numbers. It has a lot to do with equations, but not the kind of equations you think. It’s not about establishing equality in formulas; it’s about establishing the equality of concepts. Numbers are just the nuts and bolts of mathematics. Nuts and bolts won’t make that happen if you can’t envision the relationships between things.

Mathematics offers many useful metaphors, but you wouldn’t know it if all you know about math is numbers and equations. I want to introduce some of these metaphors. This does not involve numbers. The equalities are metaphorical.

Numbers

Ideas

Metaphors

Equality

Linear and Logarithmic Measurers

Progression: A Vector

Projections: The Dot Product

Distortion: The Tensor

Extension: The Wedge Product

A Need for Evolution

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