What is 3×2? A pupil answers with big eyes: 3×2 is the same as 2×3! The whole class laughed out loud and the teacher punished the poor kid to stand in the corner for the rest of the day: Take your time and think about what you made wrong. 3×2 is 6 and not 2×3 the teacher shouted at him.
what is math and all science disciplines made for? To understand the world, right? To see the correlations in nature. Let’s make it short: math should improve life. math should serve us, not the other way around. Often I observe that people make big efforts to serve math. just to give you an example from my student times: I used to work as a cashier at Benetton. At the end of the day we had to make a final bill, in german we say “Kassensturz” which literally means “The crash of the cash”. The coins in the cash of course had to be exactly the same as the computer says. I don’t know why but it never was. I always had a few cents too much or less in the cash. So what did I do? I just add some private money from my wallet to the cash as long as it doesn’t exceeds 1 Deutschmark. My colleagues were very ambitious, they started to investigate and to check all transmissions and rechecked the change money and often spend up to one hour to find out why there was a difference. Somehow they were dictated b figures (served to math) and missed to get home early to rest or spend time with family and friends (improve life).
While I am writing this I am sitting in an aircraft cabin from Berlin to cologne, where I will conduct a Hartz IV Möbel Workshop with the curators of BKult for the AIT Architektursalon. My seat is 15 F. The first class (which is branded with the classification “Best” on the passenger’s seats of the Germanwings aircraft) ends exactly before my row. What is the difference in service between the “Best” Passenger’s and my group. They get a sandwich for free and a flatrate in coffee. Now let’s use mathematics. There were around 15 Best Passengers and around 20 economy passengers. How can math serve us to offer coffee to all passengers? For free. Well, actually each Best Passenger can order two coffees and share one with the ones from us. According to math that might be possible. The crew cabin of course has brewed enough coffee for the best passengers. And it’s stupid to throw cold coffee away, just because of profit reason in my opinion. If a Best passenger doesn’t order 2 coffees the crew cabin could easily declare a coffee (made for the economy group) as a best-coffee. there would be no damage for the company. But (most) people don’t do that, because of course there are rules to follow, and this is the reason why I cannot drink coffee although there is too much in cabin kitchen waiting to be spoiled away. Crazy, isn’t it?
A berlin based musician called Masen sings in a love song the following lines: “one meets one and then they turn into three”. He described the story of a young family with the grammar of mathematics, and he comes to this formular: 1+1=3 well a math teacher, a scientist, an economist would declare this as wrong. People who believe in figures don’t accept coincidence or irregularity or understand poetry or the power of nature and love. Even if all laws of algebra contradicts this, still it’s true. And it improves life.
Next monday I will have a talk with my boss in the architecture office where I am employed for six years. For the first time I will reduce my worktime from fulltime (40 hours = 5 days x 8 h) to parttime (30 hours). What we have to discuss is, if I work on 4 or 5 days a week. I have to decide between the worktime model 4 days x 7,5 h or 5 days x 6 h. Both mathematically seen will bring 30 hours, but for me and my little son it will be a big difference if I can spend 3 days with him (friday + weekend) or just 2 days (weekend). Figures don’t understand family planning. So literally speaking even what the punished school boy in the school answered: 3×2=2×3 is not really the same in real life. But the boy was curious enough to find new truthes beyond the answer beyond “6”.
So whenever I got stuck in my thinking, because I am in financial trouble or have bought not enough noodles for the next sit in, I think of masen and his family formula. And I trust on the magic between human people that can make 3 out of one and one.