Yeah but for those of us who actually studied math, it’s silly. Rote arithmetic barely qualifies, you hardly even see actual numbers in math except for a handful of single digit integers for exponents, subscripts, coefficients, etc.
Except that arithmetic still qualifies as maths even if it is only barely, whereas a golf cart doesn’t qualify as a sports car. It’s more like saying “vehicle” when you mean "kid’s bicycle "; it’s still technically true even though it isn’t the most sophisticated.
No, I understand it, but you’re still the guy who’s gatekeeping maths, and your analogy is bad. A better one would be calling mixing vinegar and baking soda chemistry, which despite how basic (and acidic) it is any chemist will. Basic maths is still maths.
People always say math when they just mean arithmetic.
For the general public that’s a distinction without a difference
Yeah but for those of us who actually studied math, it’s silly. Rote arithmetic barely qualifies, you hardly even see actual numbers in math except for a handful of single digit integers for exponents, subscripts, coefficients, etc.
It’s like calling a golf cart a “sports car”.
Except that arithmetic still qualifies as maths even if it is only barely, whereas a golf cart doesn’t qualify as a sports car. It’s more like saying “vehicle” when you mean "kid’s bicycle "; it’s still technically true even though it isn’t the most sophisticated.
It’s a car you use for sports.
Ok, good point. So what are you trying to say? That the general public should use the more specific word for the benefit of mathematicians?
My only point is that it’s silly to mathematicians that the majority of people use the word “math(s)” to refer exclusively to arithmetic.
Imagine being the guy who gatekeeps maths.
I’m not sure you understand my point.
No, I understand it, but you’re still the guy who’s gatekeeping maths, and your analogy is bad. A better one would be calling mixing vinegar and baking soda chemistry, which despite how basic (and acidic) it is any chemist will. Basic maths is still maths.