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Did mathematics ( thus physical laws) exist before Man or did man invent mathematics ( thus physical laws)?
9 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
everything already existed, man just studied it and formulated it. but the law of gravity for example already existed we cant invent that.
Source(s): Best answer?? - 1 decade ago
If man had invented mathematics, that would mean that we could have defined mathematics differently. In actuality we have no control over physical laws that are pre-existent - we are instead bound by them.
- 1 decade ago
Mathematics is a branch of study dealing with numbers, and cannot be termed physical laws.
It happens that we humans have 10 fingers (or 10 toes), and therefore, our numbers sequence go from 0 to 9. So, we conveniently evolved to standardise measurements in metric system like metres, kilometres, grams, kilograms, etc.
By study of nature, we find that we can relate things like our gravitational acceleration to 9.8 metre/s/s or speed of light as 300 million metres/s, etc.
Whatever mathematics (or the numerical representations, as we know it) exists or not, such constants will remain as it its, and thus can we claim to "invent" the physical laws or mathematics or vice versa?
- Boomer WisdomLv 71 decade ago
Mathematics and science are human inventions that describe our perceived universe amazingly well. Before math and our "physical laws," the universe just did its thing without us.
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- Roman SoldierLv 51 decade ago
If math and physical laws didn't exist before man, how would gravity have formed our earth, sun, and solar system. It's a silly question really. Of course it existed before Man.
- 1 decade ago
Mathmatics and physics are Man's attempt to quantify and explain certain behaviors such as the effect of gravity. Those behaviors existed well before Man. Two apples have always been more than one, even before Man learned to count.
- 1 decade ago
man invented the term maths for what we use to calculate things like weight/size/speed etc we use maths to walk and to read
so no maths did not exist before man cause we made up a name for it but the things that we do in maths have been around for all eternity even before man for example believe it ot not maths is used for dinosaurs to track down prey or they used maths for walking but being that they couldent talk and say i will call this maths
so no maths was not invented until man came about
and if u believe in god and that in the bible it says god created earth......how many earths....... 1 earth there u go that is maths and humans wernet around then
- 1 decade ago
I think those laws are always there before we know/understand them, so discover will be a better word than invent.