Mathematics is often defined as the study of topics such as

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a) quantity, structure, space and change.

b) whole numbers, fractions, and irrational numbers.

c) points, lines and triangles.

Mathematical discoveries involve

a) researching patterns taking into account their applications.

b) creating new abstractions.

c) discovering and cataloging patterns without regard for application.

By its origin mathematics is a Greek word and it means

a) something that must be learnt or understood, perhaps “acquired knowledge”.

b) a whole number.

c) nature.

Arithmetic, algebra, the calculus, differential equations

a) are included in the mathematics of integers.

b) contain many more divisions.

c) are all developments of the real number system.

Irrational and negative numbers

a) are wholly abstracted from the physical practice.

b) are not entirely abstracted from practice.

c) are creations of the human mind without any help of experience.

2. Find the answers to the questions in the text.

1. How can one define mathematics?

2. What is practical mathematics used for?

3. What can mathematical research involve?

4. What does the word mathematics mean?

5. What are the main branches of mathematics?

6. What do you understand by the real number system?

7. What part of mathematics is termed the mathematics of number?

8. What are the basic concepts of mathematics?

9. What does applied mathematics concern itself with?

3. Read the sentences given below and decide whether you agree or disagree. Think about your reasons.

1. Practical mathematics is used for accounting and measuring.

2. Not all fields of knowledge make use of mathematical discoveries.

3. The word mathematics takes its origin from Latin.

4. There is no generally accepted definition of mathematics.

5. Mathematics as a science is divided into several branches such as algebra, geometry, differential equations.

6. The largest branch of mathematics deals with real numbers.

7. The basic concepts in mathematics are abstractions from experience.

8. Applied mathematics is connected with applications of mathematical theories and ideas to other fields of science.

9. In most cases mathematics is applied to the Humanities.

4. The sentences below sum up the contents of the text “Mathematics”, but they are mixed up. Put them in the right order.

1. The main concepts of mathematics are abstractions from experience.

2. The word mathematics takes its origin from the Greek word which means “knowledge acquired by learning” or “general knowledge”.

3. Mathematics is the body of knowledge confirmed by deductive reasoning.

4. But many more concepts are, in essence, creations of the human mind with or without any help of experience.

5. Different fields of knowledge make use of mathematical discoveries.

6. Each branch of mathematics begins with certain concepts.

7. Applied mathematics deals with different applications of mathematical knowledge to other domains such as physics, biology, economics, etc.

8. Mathematics consists of some branches, the largest of which being the so-called mathematics of number.

9. Practical mathematics is applied for such purposes as measuring, accounting and predicting some events.

Reading

Read the text “Physics” and fill in the blanks with the proper words.

TEXT B

PHYSICS

What exactly is physics? What 1) … have physicists been able to make, and what new discoveries are physicists making today?

Four hundred years ago the 2) … physicist would not have been understood. The 3) … of science was then the study of natural philosophy – a single discipline concerned with the scientific 4) … of all natural phenomena, and the subsequent formulation of “laws of nature” capable of embracing these 5) …. But since those Renaissance days, the growth of scientific 6) … has been so great that natural philosophy has 7) … into numerous different disciplines –physics, chemistry, Earth sciences, zoology, botany and many others. Nevertheless, it is perhaps true to say that of all the natural 8) …, physics remains closest to the original idea of those early natural philosophers; it is that branch of science still most directly 9) … with studying natural events.

To attempt to 10) … physics in a couple of sentences, however, is all but impossible. The dictionary describes it as “the 11) … of matter, energy and motion”. And certainly physics is, in 12) …, about understanding the material world, and the interaction of one part of it with another. Yet clearly, physics is also what physicists do, and as such it 13) … all the kinds of abstract qualities that accompany any field of human activity. Physics is a curious 14) … of creative effort and lucky discovery, of painstaking experimentation and mathematical 15) …, of accumulated knowledge and unifying ideas, of philosophical implications and practical applications. Many new insights in physics have been prompted by a firm belief that the true explanation of some phenomena cannot possibly be as complicated as it would at first sight appear. Most physicists would agree that one of the goals of physics is to attempt “to explain the world” with the simplest possible array of ideas and equations. Besides economic applications, physics has had a general cultural impact on the development of modern thought.

Graduates from all courses are well-trained physicists qualified for entry into a wide range of careers, including academic physics, industry, teaching and scientific computing. In addition, employers in nonscientific field recognize the value of training in physics; every year a substantial portion of our graduates are employed in finance, management and commercial computing.

“Physics”, it has been said, “is whatever physicists are doing”.

1. a) discoveries b) research c) developments d) theories

2. a) concept b) expression c) term d) name

3. a) research b) study c) investigation d) development

4. a) knowledge b) inquiry c) investigation d) discovery

5. a) phenomena b) concepts c) happenings d) occurrences

6. a) facts b) knowledge c) ideas d) understanding

7. a) separated b) parted c) merged d) divided

8. a) fields b) branches c) sciences d) studies

9. a) pertaining b) involved c) interested d) concerned

10. a) define b) determine c) designate d) explain

11. a) theory b) study c) research d) explanation

12. a) particular b) some extent c) large part d) a greater or lesser degree

13. a) reflects b) reproduces c) considers d) contemplates

14. a) mixture b) alloy c) blend d) compound

15. a) intuition b) conclusions c) induction d) deduction

Read the text “Physics” again to fulfill the tasks given in Comprehension check.

Comprehension check

1. Complete the sentences with the best ending a, b, or c.

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