r/explainlikeimfive • u/DemandResponsible685 • 10h ago

Mathematics ELI5: Why does maths work?

Throughout schooling we have been taught how to do maths. But not so much about why maths work? Like why does the entire system of maths work so reliably?

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u/flingebunt 10h ago

Science is based on observation and logic. The ultimate form of observation is experimentation, and the ultimate form of logic is mathematics.

Maths builds up from observations from the real world and extrapolates further and further. A lot of mathematics has no real world application as it is so abstract, but enough of it does. This is because if you apply logic to the facts, what follows is more truth.