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/sci/ - Science & Math

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5945786 No.5945786 [Reply] [Original]

can anyone explain the mathematical reason that it's easiest to make the middle image but not the left or right.

Is there a math reason we think of up down left right, and not up down left and down right, or anything else?

>> No.5945791

>>5945786

It's just because one involves drawing two straight lines perpendicular, while the other involve having to process and guess at more information.

For the others you also have to estimate at what angle to draw the lines, which is harder since it's not 90 degrees and there are also more steps in the process.

It doesn't really demand a mathematical explanation.

>> No.5945806

>>5945791

Yes but you didn't answer why we find it easier to estimate 90 degree angles.

>> No.5945809

>>5945806
Estimating 90 deg only requires achieving mirror symmetry. Estimating other angles is more complex.

>> No.5945812

>>5945806
because with one stroke you are making 2 equal parts, bisecting an angle is easy.

>> No.5945813

>>5945786
>Is there a math reason we think of up down left right, and not up down left and down right, or anything else?
Not really, rather a cultural one.
The reason we think in three directions (up/down, left/right, front/back or whatever you call that) is that we live in a three dimensional space. To describe every point in that space we need three basis vectors. It has very intuitive advantages if these three vectors are orthogonal to each other. That's the mathematical part.
So why this specific combination of orthogonal vectors? The reason is probably gravitation. It's basically the only thing in our lives that gives us some sort of direction in the sense of orientation. You have the direction in which everything falls and the direction of the horizon. That's defining up/down and left/right, which is enough.

>> No.5945814

If I recall correctly, there was an argument concerning our definition of mathematics from the one, few, many derivative of our counting system.

The creation of specifics in this case show a kind of independence for our lines which would also indicate a higher complexity of the counting system.

The cross can be gained from having "one" (more then one, or "not one"), whereas the other two require the few and many categories to derive.

>> No.5945818

i think it's neurolological. the visual cortex is rigged for recognizing right angles, enabling the orientation in 3d space.

i've seen this on National Geographic.