What is mathematics? Is it a subject? Is it a science? Is it an art? Is it a religion? I for one believe that it is all of the above. Maths is a subject for those who study it, a science for those who experiment with it, an art for those who practice it and a religion for those who follow it. And the reason for its versatile nature is chiefly its beauty.
There have been many before me, and I'm sure there will be many after me, that have expressed Maths as something beautiful. The simple way in which an idea can be expressed as an equation is proof of how transcendental mathematics is - it is first an idea in the form of thoughts, which is converted into an equation in the form of constants and variables. And there is always an answer for any problem. The expression "cold and calculating" fits this sublime science too, for maths is cold in that it requires severe logic, and calculating in that it is manipulation of numbers.
That maths is used in all walks of life is common knowledge. Musical compositions use rhythm and tempo, which is mathematics, as demonstrated by the 18th century composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Shakespearean literature is famous for its iambic pentameter style, which is also mathematics. Architecture as a whole is nothing without mathematics. Dance forms incorporate mathematics in their various styles and choreographies.
Anything you touch can be related with mathematics - such is the universal connection of mathematics that links all things on this earth. This very nature of maths that makes it a universal language is the most defining reason for its beauty. This beauty is more appreciated by those who study maths and are interested in it; but even those who do not enjoy maths experience its beauty at least once in its life - when they finally understand something in maths class!
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