this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2025
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[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 51 points 2 days ago (2 children)

But math does change, and it has a lot in the last 1000 years.

[–] wsheldon@lemm.ee 61 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Math doesn't change, we just learn more about it.

The mathematical knowledge we had thousands of years ago is still true, and it always will be.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

yeah, and physics changes as a science because the actual physics of the universe changes. what are you on about. "we just learn more about it" is pretty much the definition of all sciences.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Has anything changed in Euclid's Elements?

[–] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 days ago

We discovered one of the postulates was really interesting to fuck with.

It's better to say that we've discovered more math, some of which changes how we understand the old.

Since Euclid, we've made discoveries in how geometry works and the underpinnings of it that can and have been used to provide foundation for his work, or to demonstrate some of the same things more succinctly. For example, Euclid had some assumptions that he didn't document.

Since math isn't empirical, it's rarely wrong if actually proven. It can be looked at differently though, and have assumptions changed to learn new things, or we can figure out that there are assumptions that weren't obvious.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

The number of hypotheses we've proven, mostly. Also, we have this whole field of non-Euclidean geometry. And the modern Pythagoreans are a lot more chill about people knowing the irrationality of Pi.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but I mean revision not additive change. From what I remember nothing in elements is wrong. I don't think anyone proved that last postulate

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Nothing is wrong, it's just more incomplete than a modern book.

But if you're at the 101 level, sure. It works fine.

[–] Quik@infosec.pub 4 points 2 days ago

Yes, some of the shit he wrote was basically meaningless (the "definitions" before the axioms) and we would just leave it out.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Nope. Thats why I gifted it to my son, who studies math.

Not sure, I've only gotten to the middle of the third season. No spoilers, please!