ROMAN NUMERALS

My short LoveMaths text this time is about Roman numerals. Roman numerals are very interesting for many historical and cultural reasons, and it is a pity that they have such limited use today and are almost forgotten.

Roman numerals are the numbers that the ancient Romans used. This is just a short reminder about these beautiful numerals, which are still very much alive on some occasions, although they have limited and more specific uses.

One of their greatest disadvantages is that they form very long strings of letters.

Rome was the capital of the vast Roman Empire, which encompassed almost the entire continent of Europe, along with Mediterranean territories in Asia and Africa.

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful empires of the ancient world. Historians believe that the earliest Roman settlements began in 753 BC.

TREE

(Blenda studio)

(a poem by 11 years old Emma)

Once upon a time,

A little tiny acorn,

Passed on the wind,

And past the mouths of many squirrels.

The adventure of a lifetime,

Until it stops,

And there is only darkness,

Buried under heaps of soil,

And there is nothing left to do,

But sit and wait.

After what seemed like a hundred years,

Something soft and warm picks it up,

Cradles it,

Up, into the sunlight,

A brief moment of freedom.

A moment that doesn't last.

It is hidden away,

Under more moist soil.

The little seedling grows,

MATHS IN DAILY LIFE

Mathematics is the universal language of our environment, helping people to explain and create.

"When am I ever going to use maths?" Students often wonder if, when and how they will ever use maths in real-life situations.

The truth is that we use maths all the time!

But how well do we know, and how well do we remember, the language of mathematics?

Let us try to answer this question.

If we know the language of mathematics relatively well, do we use it in our everyday lives?

Everybody uses the language of mathematics to some extent in their daily life. We are often so used to this language that we do not even think about how grateful we should be to mathematics for developing its symbolic language, which serves us in so many ways.

Let us try to remember and summarise some of the applications of maths that we all use without being mathematicians.

The language of mathematics is part of human civilisation. In fact, it has helped to shape human civilisation and culture.

INFINITY

The purpose of my texts is not to try to say everything about a topic—not at all—mainly because that is impossible.

Even a whole book, for example, about infinity will never be able to say everything. In a book, you always choose what to present and what to leave for the next one.

My main purpose is to make you think not only about the specific topic, but also to try to find the connections between everything in real life, where there are no limitations or borders to our imagination and knowledge.

So let us challenge ourselves. This is the only way to continue developing.

There is no limit to development.

Remember what I said: Thinking (together with love) is one of the greatest joys we can experience.

Human curiosity is actually a wonderful example of infinity.

SYMMETRY

Writing about symmetry is both a great challenge and a great joy. It is a challenge because, like the topic of infinity, it is all around us, yet it is so profound and deep that there is a great risk that, by trying to say something, we may fail to say very much at all. I am willing to take this risk, mainly because I am not trying to achieve the impossible—to say everything. No, that would require much more research and much more knowledge than I have at the moment.

I will simply try to lift the curtain on the topic and make connections, on the one hand, with the mathematical language of symmetry and how it reflects real life in order to develop practical tools for describing and working with symmetry. On the other hand, as we have mentioned many times, mathematical language developed from people's practical needs to solve practical problems, so we also need to make connections with other areas.

Symmetry is one of the most fundamental ways in which nature structures itself. It is one of the laws of nature that we humans simply imitate in our everyday activities. We are naturally attracted to symmetry.

When you hear the words symmetry and symmetrical, what is the first association that comes to your mind? Is it something beautiful? And what about asymmetrical? Are your associations less positive? If so, don't worry—you are not alone.

The idea and the principles of symmetry lie at the very foundation of how we see, perceive and understand the world. Symmetry is what holds different parts of the world together and makes them more pleasing to the eye. Everything is in harmonious proportion when it is symmetrical. Nature itself is governed by the principle of symmetry, which creates balance rather than chaos. In many ways, symmetry represents order—a beautiful, peaceful and well-ordered world. It helps us make sense of the world around us.

THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

The Language of Love Is Silent

You're trying to speak to me in your language, but I don't understand you. You make awkward gestures, trying to show me what your words fail to convey. I listen to hear, to understand, to feel, to ease your awkwardness, to shorten the distance between us. We speak different languages, but it is the sparkle in our eyes that brings us closer. Desperate because your words do not reach me, you sink into silence, and only your eyes look at me intently. They look at me as though I am the one who lights the fire within them. And then I understand everything. You become so excited that you spontaneously embrace me as a sign of apology and humility. And suddenly everything is clear without words. Because you speak the language of love.

But today you are different, and I do not understand the language of your silence. Today you are different, and you speak to me in the language of indifference. You change every day, and I fail to learn your language, to understand your heart and the way it expresses itself.

One day you are yourself, and the next you dissolve into everything, living and inanimate. I want to learn to understand you, to find you. You want to learn to understand me so that you do not lose me.

HEARTBEAT

(a poem by 11 years old Emma)

Listen to your heartbeat,

The thing that keeps you alive.

One tiny human heartbeat,

One out of seven billion others.

On a tiny overcrowded rock called Earth,

Floating around in the vast expanse of space.

We look up at the stars,

Wonder what might be.

Are we the only ones out there?

Are we really alone in the universe?

Or are there others,

Looking up at the heavens,

At the unexplored planets.

Maybe even at Earth.

ЕЗИКЪТ НА ЛЮБОВТА

Езикът на любовта е мълчалив.

Ти се опитваш да ми говориш на своя език, но аз не те разбирам. Правиш някакви конфузни жестове, опитвайки се да ми покажеш онова, което думите ти не успяват да предадат. Аз цялата съм слух, за да те чуя, да те разбера и да те усетя, да направя твоето смущение по-малко, да скъся разстоянието помежду ни. Ние говорим на различни езици, но блясъкът в очите ни е това, което ни сближава. Отчаян, че думите ти не достигат до мен, потъваш в тишина и само очите ти напрегнато ме гледат. Гледат ме така, все едно аз съм онова, което запалва огъня в тях. И тогава разбирам всичко. А ти си толкова развълнуван, че спонтанно ме прегръщаш като знак на извинение и смирение. И така всичко е ясно – без думи. Защото ти говориш на езика на любовта.

Но днес ти си различен и аз не разбирам езика на твоето мълчание. Днес ти си различен и ми говориш на езика на безразличието. Ти се променяш всеки ден, а аз не успявам да науча твоя език, за да разбирам твоето сърце и начина, по който то се изразява.

Един ден ти си себе си, а след това се разтваряш във всичко живо и неживо. Аз искам да се науча да те разбирам, за да те намеря. Ти искаш да се научиш да ме разбираш, за да не ме изгубиш.

THE MAGIC OF FIBONACCI NUMBERS

Let us ask ourselves: why do we learn mathematics? For calculations and applications. And for inspiration. The connection between mathematics and nature is inspiring and makes us think. Mathematics teaches us how to think. It is not just about solving for x. It is also about discovering how and why.

The Fibonacci sequence is one of the most famous patterns in mathematics. It has been part of human knowledge for centuries. It proves once again that we cannot draw a line separating one field of knowledge from another. If we do so, it is only for practical reasons, such as educational subjects and examinations. More often than not, we borrow knowledge and theories from different disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of our own.

The Fibonacci numbers show us that the whole universe is interconnected—the fabric of space itself, the galaxies, nature and human knowledge, all striving to understand the bigger picture. The Fibonacci sequence entered mathematics through observations of the natural world and inspired ancient mathematicians to find logical and practical explanations for natural phenomena that everyone could observe.

From the Fibonacci sequence, we can calculate the Golden Ratio, and from the Golden Ratio comes the spiral. The spiral can be seen throughout the natural world and across the universe. We encounter this pattern everywhere. The spiral is both a mathematical and a spiritual symbol of life, energy and rebirth. It is like the thread that holds everything together. It is like God's signature, reminding us that everything—from immense galaxies to the smallest fingerprints—has been created according to the same spiral design. It is the spiral that keeps everything in the universe connected and in order.