“[Natural] philosophy is written in that great book which ever lies before our eyes--I mean the universe--but we cannot understand it if we do not first learn the language and grasp the symbols in which it is written.  The book is written in the mathematical language, and the symbols are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures, without whose help it is impossible to comprehend a single word of it; without which one wanders in vain through a dark labyrinth.”  ⇒ Galileo Galilei

There are two broad categories of mathematics, called Pure and Applied. Pure mathematics is the study of mathematics without a specific application in mind and to broaden an understanding of math itself. Applied mathematics refers to the use of mathematics in some real-world discipline such as physics, chemistry, engineering, computing and business.  Mathematics  is a method for abstracting features of the real world and representing them symbolically so they can be manipulated, analyzed and tabulated.  Mathematics derives from the Greek, and means knowledge, study and learning. Mathematics has applications in almost every area of human study and has guided development since ancient times.  Evidence of its use is shown in geometric patterns that were found in South African caves which date back to 70,000 BC. 

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