Whether mathematics is invented or discovered is an impossible question to answer because it is impossible to prove or disprove and it will probably remain so no matter how far our mathematical knowledge advances in the future. There will always be maths that can be applied to the physical world and maths that seems to be just made up by someone. Though there is evidence to support both the Formalists and the Platonists neither can be absolutely sure the other is wrong. Maybe both are right. Does it really matter? Whether maths is real or just a product of our imaginations it will continue to be developed and applied to different areas of our lives and maybe one day we will come close to answering this question.

There is disagreement between mathematicians over the relationship between maths and reality and whether mathematical objects are real. There are three different groups that have oposing ideas on the subject. One, the Platonist, says that mathematical objects are real and exist independent of our knowledge of them. So mathematicians discover mathematical theories and formulas. Formalists on the other hand argue that there are no mathematical objects and that mathematicians just create them. Constructivists disagree with both and say that genuine mathematics is only what can be obtained by a finite construction. The set of real numbers or any other infinite set cannot be obtained.

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Approximate Word count = 949
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)