History and Math: Can they Agree?

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm

90:12, KJV). God is a god God of order, and that is seen clearly through math and the different

concepts taught in it. As a math teacher though, it is easy to see that some students do not seem

to appreciate the order of math as much as others. Sometimes it is because they see it as being

pointless or they do not understand what is going on. Teachers have the job of getting students to

see the purpose and order of math. That might be through pointing out how something was

discovered or showing how two things that do not seem to be related at all can come together to

solve the problem. The history of math is a long one, but it is necessary for a teacher to

understand where the concepts so that he is better able to get his point across to his students.

Sometimes, it is even beneficial to include some of the history of math in the lesson so the

students grasp a better understanding of the subject. It is important to show the history of math

with and without Christian influence and to share with students the purpose of learning this

material. Teachers have the obligation to help students understand how knowing math will affect

their daily lives.

If one were to look at the history of mathematics from a Christian viewpoint, he would

see Gods hand in the progression of the timeline from the beginning with Adam to where the

world is now with technology and other advancements. James Nickel states in his book

Mathematics: Is God Silent? that Mans pursuit of mathematics is to be an act of worship to

God, the only autonomous one.1 God meant for man to discover some of the mysteries and

wonders of mathematics so that he could look and stand in the awe and wonder of God. The

history for math does not start in a definite place or a specific country but instead starts with

1 Nickel, James. Mathematics: is God silent? (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2001), 6.
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civilizations as a whole. In Math through the Ages, William Berlinghoff discusses how each

society had simple thoughts about numbers and knew basics about math.2 God had put within

each man a need for math and a need for the knowledge it brings.

The need for numbers and math started to become more prominent as civilizations tended to

have a more central control and a government. As Berlinghoff talks about in his book, societies

now needed number for taxes and for tracking livestock and other goods.3 The Bible discusses

taxing in the Old and New Testament which would have been impossible without the

development of a number system. The Greeks were the main group that structuralized the basis

for mathematics and the theory behind it. Nickels discusses that the Greeks really believed that

through math, the origin of man could be figured out and mans purpose could be found.4 They

did not look to God to answer these questions that He has so clearly laid out in Gods Word.

They were never truly able to answer their questions because of their reluctance to look past the

mathematical knowledge they were gaining. Paul writes in Romans 1:25 that, Who changed the

truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is

blessed for ever. Amen. (KJV). The Greeks were more concerned with mans achievements in

logic to look past the perfect order that God has placed in it and worship Him instead of their

accomplishments.

India was influential in constructing the number system that is still used today in almost every

math class. Indian mathematicians are most famous for the creation of a decimal numbering

system.5 They used a dot as an empty place to show place value that is still used today with

checks, measurements and bills. They started doing calculations with numbers like this and even

2 Berlinghoff, William P., and Fernando Q. Gouva. Math through the Ages: A Gentle History
for Teachers and Others. (Farmington, ME: Oxton House Publishers, 2004), 6.
3 Ibid.
4 Nickel, 7.
5 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 25.
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based their place-value system off of powers of tens. Calculations were not the only thing Indian

contributed to. They were able to give important information to help in the advancing of

trigonometry. Starting with the ideas from Ptolemy, Indian mathematicians were able to make

more accurate formulas for finding the sine of a line segment in a circle. 6 Thus improving on

some of the trigonometric ideas introduced by Ptolemy.

Trigonometry became an important subject again in the 15th and 16th centuries. Sailing to other

countries was becoming more and more common so the need for making charts and finding the

way to other continents became a need. 7 The six trigonometric functions known today in class

became the standard, but sine and cosine were still seen as lengths instead of ratios.8 It would

still be some time before the trigonometric functions became standard ratios for triangles.

Algebra would start to blossom more in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The need for

symbols became more prevalent as problems were still being written out in complete sentences.9

It was Descartes who would come up with the idea of using notation, such as lower case letters,

to shorten mathematical statements. One extremely useful product of this time was the

connection between algebra and geometry. Descartes and Fermat were able to invent what is

used in school today known as coordinate geometry. They figured out that algebraic equations

could be interpreted as a geometric relationship and vice versa.10 This would then lead to Fermat

asking different questions pertaining to how numbers relate to each other.

Even though there were many mathematicians looking for the answers to algebraic expressions,

there were some that wanted to use math to figure out what was going on in the universe. This

6 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 27.

7 Ibid., pg. 35.
8 Ibid., pg. 36.
9 Ibid., pg. 39.
10 Ibid., pg. 41.
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would lead to the discoveries of calculus and applied mathematics.11 Many questions led to the

intrigue in applied mathematics. Berlinghoff states:

All of this work brought some specific mathematical issues to everyones attention.
Studying motion inevitably led to difficult questions related to the infinite divisibility of
space and time. When an objet is moving in such a way that its velocity is continually
changing, how does one even understand what its velocity is? And how does one figure
out what distance it covers in a given amount of time?12

These questions led to a discovery that both Newton and Leibniz made. They both made

inquiries about flow rate and were able to come up with derivatives that are used in calculus still

today.13 Euler later came along and developed calculus into a powerful tool for mathematicians.

He was also able to use math to help in the building of turbines and ships. He also contributed to

the use of sine and cosine as ratios angels.14 Many great mathematicians have given vital

information to the world of mathematics that is still being used today.

Christianity played a big role in the history of mathematics. Many reasons for the discovery of

equations and formulas was because that Christian mathematics were asking why. There were

some other mathematicians that were looking for answers outside of God, but He still used them

to find His order in the universe. Unfortunately, as more years go by there is less Christianity

involved in the study of math. In Mathematics in a Postmodern Age, Howell says,

Developments in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century natural science brought

about a major change in peoples perception of the world. At the beginning of this period
the world was still a universe full of inherent purpose and Christian mystery, though a
number of people were becoming skeptical about the validity of knowledge provided by
Aristotelian philosophy and traditional religion.15

11 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 42.

12 Ibid., 43.
13 Ibid., 44.
14 Ibid., 45-46.
15 Howell, Russell W., and W. James Bradley. Mathematics in a postmodern age: a Christian
perspective. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2001), 186.
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Mans view had changed about God. They had rejected God as the supreme giver of

understanding and instead relied on their own knowledge to help them as they continued to study

math. Because of this, there are times when the study of math seems to become stagnant. Nickel

notes, In the civilizations of antiquity, we have seen that mathematics progressed for a few

centuries, then stagnated due to a false world view. We have also noted the great creative

mathematical stirrings that took place in a culture steeped in the biblical world view.16 God

blesses those who look to Him for answers and He blessed the mathematicians that realized the

order of it came from Him. Many men see the world as chaos and that math is an order that can

be used to achieve order in the universe. These two different viewpoints establish what

presuppositions someone believes about math. Nickel says about these presuppositions, In

mathematics, presuppositions can be based either upon the autonomy of man or in the biblical

revelation of a sovereign, Creator God. A world of difference separates the two. One believes

that all things happen by chance, the other by design.17 The world view with which a

mathematician holds to will shape how they look at and interpret math and how they view the

history of such a beautiful subject.

How does knowing and understanding the history behind mathematics help in the classroom in

any way? In a standard math classroom, every day seems to consist of calculations and finding

the value for x, but where does the history for these rules that are followed fall into the classroom

lesson plan? As Christians, is it important to teach the history and the theory behind what is

taught on the chalkboard? In his book, Howell states:

As Christians who have chosen careers that involve the teaching and learning of
mathematics, we are often asked if our Christian view of the world makes any
difference in how we approach mathematics and mathematics education. The
typical assumption of the questioner is that it does not make any difference. We

16 Nickel, 64.
17 Ibid., 65.
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disagree. We respond that in several areas critical to the teaching and learning of
mathematics, ones Christian perspective affects both the reason behind deliberate
choices and some of the actual choices that are made.18

Some people might say that history is just for history and math is just for math, but as Christians

we need to be teaching it from the viewpoint that God wants those two to go together in the

classroom. Teaching math is not just teaching the how something is done but the why of it also.

God made math to be beautiful but sometimes the beauty is lost when it is looked at as a drill

b b24 ac
instead of seen as something of order. For example, x= looks like a crazy
2a

formula that teachers give so students have one more thing to memorize. What most students do

not know is that it is derived from the standard equation a x 2+ bx+ c=0 that they are solving.

With an understanding of where the quadratic formula comes form from and the history behind

it, students may learn to appreciate the effectiveness of it so much more. They will learn to look

beyond a jumble of letters and numbers and see an orderly God who gave us orderly math in this

very disorderly world.

Math is a requirement for students that starts in preschool and all the way to high school and into

college for some people. At what point though does math go from practical to pointless? How

can it become more beneficial for someone who does not see the point and will never use it

again? The beginning stages of math are obviously the most important part because it lays the

foundation for years to come and can ultimately decide whether or not someone is going to

struggle in math for the rest of his life. Everyday is filled with math. It might be figuring out how

long you can continue sleeping until you absolutely have to get up for work. It might be writing a

check or balancing the checkbook. It could even be as simple as figuring out how many people

18 Howell and Bradley, 338.

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are coming for dinner. No matter what, numbers and math are constantly being used and

sometimes, we do not even realize it. Without math, the daily commodities that we are used to

would be gone. Cell phones, internet shopping, and debit cards would be a few amenities that

would be lost.

How is math useful when it comes to other subjects in school? Trying to compare

grammar and math is similar to trying to compare a computer and coffee. Theyre too different to

relate. How then, does math help with grammar or any other subject? Well, math is a subject that

requires repetition, practice, and diligence. Sometimes that is not learned until later on in life, but

it is needed to succeed in math. Diligence is a trait that can be used in any class from history to

computer class. A never give up attitude will help a student to persevere later on in life when

something seems to be going wrong. Repetition is something students need to learn at a young

age for math and other subjects. Without repetition, information will not stay and processes will

not be learned. Finally, practice is used in every single subject and even in the workplace.

Practice is what makes teachers better teachers. Practice is what better students. Practice is what

makes workers better workers. No matter what phase of life, practice, a technique that can be

taught and learned in math class, is used to further succeed.

The only thing students seem to see when it comes to math class is the numbers and

letters that are mixed up to confuse them. They do not see the purpose of learning this or how it

will eventually help them succeed further on in life. A teachers purpose is to show them how

this is something that will be used later in life. Incorporating the purpose of math into the

classroom is something that should be done on a regular basis. One way to integrate it is by

showing them real life examples in the world. For example, when talking about decimals, show

students that decimals have a colossal affect effect on the amount of money written on checks
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and in bank accounts. Moving the decimal to the right or to the left will change the number and

not necessarily in a good way. Now students do not just see the decimal as another obstacle in

the way of multiplying and dividing but as something that will be seen in everyday life. If the

reason for math is clearly shown throughout the school year, then students will learn to see it in

the world around them and appreciate it so much more.

Just like everything else, math has a historical context to it that sheds more light on why

different equations work the way they do or how different concepts are explained. But, does the

history of math have a place in the classroom at all? What does history have to do with math at

all? Berlinghoff answers this question well by saying, History often helps by adding context.

Mathematics, after all, is a cultural product. It is created by people in a particular time and place,

and is often affected by that context. Knowing more about this helps us understand how

mathematics fits in with other human activities.19 The history behind math is something that

could show students why something is done a certain because of where the concept came from.

He also says, To learn mathematics well at any level, you need to understand the relevant

question before you can expect the answers to make sense.20 All students see when an equation

is written on the board is another obstacle for them to overcome on the next test. When history is

added, they now see a purpose for the equation and how that piece fits into the larger puzzle of

mathematics.

We have now established that the history of math is important in the classroom, but how

can it be applied? Since math is a skills subject where it is more involved than a history lecture,

how then can it be incorporated? Berlinghoff gives the suggestion of using stories. He uses the

example of Gauss as a child solving a problem using pattern recognition and stumping everyone

19 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 3.

20 Ibid., 1.
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including his teacher. He says, Telling such a story achieves some useful things. It is, after all,

an interesting story in which a student is the hero and outwits his teacher. That in itself will

probably interest students, and perhaps they will remember it. Being fixed in their memory, the

story can serve as a peg on which mathematical ideas can hang.21 People tend to remember

information better when it is told in a story setting. Students may remember certain stories and

connect it to the lesson to help them further understand the concept. Where math came from is

important in that it supports how it is done.

This research will help me as a teacher better understand math as a whole. As a teacher,

sometimes concepts are looked at as separate things and we tend to look at the whole of it as it

pertains to the semester, but what about years down the road or what students have learned

previously? How does this apply to what is being taught now? Understanding the history behind

math and the logical progression of it can help to better understand how math curriculum

advances as the years go and how to better prepare the students for the next step. Researching the

history of mathematics has also shown me the influence other countries have had in the

development and research of mathematics. Also, I have been able to see the wisdom and order

that God has used in math. Psalm 104:24 says, O Lord, how manifold are they works! in

wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of they riches. (KJV). God has shown his

majesty and wonder through math in that there is an order and when it is not done according to

that order, it will fall apart. Nickel states:

The symphony of mathematics finds its origin in the only wise God of Scripture.
God never differs with Himself. God cannot change being unchanging and
unchangeable. If He did change, He would not be God. As an echo, the structure
of mathematics voices this, for the structure of the number system reveals
unchangeable laws.22

21 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 2.

22 Nickel, pg. 96
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God is the same thousands of years ago before the world began and He will still be the same

millions of years later. This also applies to the rules in math. Man has been given a limited look

into the order that God created in math and history and research shows that His order will never

change.

Math is something that students cannot avoid no matter how hard they try. It is in the

technology that is used everyday. As a teacher, it is my job to get the importance of math across

to my students. To do that, I need to show them through the history and order of math, that God

wants them to study math to have a better understanding of Him. The ways that this can be

accomplished is by teaching the concepts of math and also teaching the history behind the math

that is taught to give them a better understanding of it. Berlinghoff says, Knowing the history of

an idea can often lead to deeper understanding, both for us and for our students.23 A deeper

understanding gives us a better understanding. A better understanding helps us to teach it better

for our students and benefits them in their future endeavors.

23 Berlinghoff and Gouva, 3.

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Bibliography

Berlinghoff, William P., and Fernando Q. Gouva. Math through the Agesages: A Gentle gentle
History history for Teachers teachers and Othersothers. Farmington, ME: Oxton House
Publishers, 2004.

Howell, Russell W., and W. James Bradley. Mathematics in a postmodern age: a Christian
perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2001.

Nickel, James. Mathematics: is God silent? Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2001.

GRADING NOTES

We already talked in my office a bit about the need to use your citations more effectively.
Now that you have the paper and my comments in front of you, you should have a better idea of
what I meant during that conversation.
The biggest problem with the paper was simply the unsupported or misplaced claims.
There were several instances where a great quote was in the wrong paragraph. In other words,
the quote applied to a point made in a previous or later paragraph, but it was completely
disconnected from the paragraph and point at hand.
Another key problem with the paper is something that I cannot point to specific examples
to illustrate: it is a problem that pervades the whole paper. Namely, the problem is that it does
not illustrate graduate level work. I know that I did not give enough guidance as to what the
paper actually required, but almost all of the examples and illustrations were examples and
illustrations that would be familiar to a freshman or sophomore mathematics education major.
The spelling was good, but many of the sentences were awkward to follow. Ive been a
student before, and I recall manufacturing sentences to reach a word count. But by the graduate
level, that needs to stop.
Taking all of the above (and the comments in the paper as well) into consideration, I
believe that the following grade is appropriate: C