• Ethnomathematics: A field investigating the cultural dimensions of mathematics.
• Focus: Understand how indigenous societies apply mathematical principles.

• Example: Marcia Ascher explored mathematical traditions of various cultures.
• These include Navajo concepts of space and time, Warlpiri kinship relations, and patterns in Malekula sand tracing.

🎓 Fun Fact: Think of the Aboriginal concept of Dreamtime, where the past, present, and future are interconnected. This could relate to the Navajo notion of time.

• Example: Kõlam, a centuries-old tradition of creating symmetrical designs with rice flour in Tamil culture, represents mathematical principles.

🌐 Real World Example: Kõlam designs can be seen during festivals like Pongal in South India. They're not just pretty patterns but also serve as mathematical puzzles!

• Margaret Wertheim explains that mathematical understanding existed long before formulas were developed.
• Mathematical practices can be seen in cultural, religious, and artistic traditions.
• The division of knowledge into different disciplines (e.g., Mathematics, Arts, etc.) is relatively recent. This demarcation has its pros and cons.

🤔 Thought Starter: If Picasso created the painting "Guernica" based on the Golden Ratio, could we consider him a mathematician of sorts?