Are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics.

Knowledge is a vast realm, the questions that precede this enigmatic concept are equally enormous and infinite. The ways through which one may communicate knowledge heavily impact one’s ability to conceive and apprehend this shared knowledge. Over the course of history and the evolution of mankind, knowledge has become more abundant and progressively increasing, in a manner the idea of developing new knowledge is greatly inevitable. Communication of knowledge is vital in allowing room for opposing viewpoints which may enrich and expand the current knowledge established or question and demolish the antecedent, communication of certain knowledge may prove to be a challenge for the acquirer of this knowledge, in order to simplify the acquisition of such incomprehensible knowledge, visual representation has played a significant role in communicating strenuous information of differing areas of knowledge varying from mathematics to human sciences however may not prove to “always” be effective. This essay will implicitly examine the ways in which visual representation, particularly in relation to disciplines such as Mathematics and Economics have facilitated and challenged the communication of knowledge.

 

Visual representations are adapted by historians, mathematicians, scientists and anthropologists to facilitate the communication of extensive knowledge, over the course of time it has been an effective method in the representation of large data in mathematics, has facilitated the understanding of the natural phenomena in the scientific realm and intensively explained the relationship between the market and household in Economics. Although visual representation is an effective medium to facilitate the communication of knowledge, it is questionable if it may always be beneficial for the learner. For example, visual representations may be greatly beneficial for visual learners, however, are inadequate in culminating similar results on, kinesthetic, auditory, and read/write learners who are less likely to profit from the communication of knowledge through visual representations, although statistics suggest that an estimated 65% of the global population are visual learners (Spencer), the remaining 35% of  learner prove that visual representation as a mode of knowledge communication is not necessarily always effective.

 

Visual representations can be very helpful in communicating mathematical concepts and relationships. They can provide a clear and intuitive way to understand abstract ideas, and can facilitate the identification of patterns and connections between different mathematical concepts. For example, in geometry, visual representations such as diagrams and models can be utilised to aid students in their understanding of geometric concepts such as angles, lines, and shapes. In Calculus, visual representations through graphs can be used to expand students' understanding of concepts such as limits, derivatives, and integrals. Additionally, visual representations such as diagrams can be very helpful in understanding the geometric interpretation of complex mathematical concepts such as complex numbers, vectors, and vector calculus.

 

Mathematics is considered among the most crucial areas of knowledge for development, it has been significant in promoting growth in various fields, according to the greek mathematician and founder of geometry - Euclid “The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of god” (Brainy). The representation of large groups of data can often be simplified into tables, graphs or other forms of mathematical representation, an example would include the use of matrices as a form of visual representation which simplifies the projection of large data sets into a quadrilateral visual within the parenthesis to simply statistics in a comprised and coherent form usually significant in data science, real-world data like population or infant mortality rate. To further support my claim the aforementioned greek mathematician Euclid published a textbook named ‘The Elements of Euclid’ which revolved around the importance of demonstration in the effective communication of knowledge, it can be understood that visual representation as a medium of demonstration is at the heart of his theory, this claim can be supported by the following verses of his book “ 1Geo- metrical diagrams are not figns, but the materials of geo- metrical fcience, the objecl: of which is to show the relative quantities of their parts by a procefs of reafoning called Demonftration.” (Euclid ix), furthermore the book introduces the basic concepts of geometry.

This cannot be done without the use of visual representation, for an example while introducing right angle triangles, if the mathematician presents the claim that ‘The angle BAC, together with the angles BCA and ABC are equal to two right angles, or twice the angle ABC.’, (Euclid ix) the communication of this knowledge greatly fails at conveying its message. However, if the following diagram is presented alongside the axiom, the communication of the knowledge becomes more effective and further argues that it enables the student or the knowledge acquirer ‘commit to the demonftration to memory’. The great mathematician expressed his thoughts through the verse -

 

Sounds which addrefs the ear are loft and die

In one fhort hour, but thefe which ftrike the eye, Live long upon the mind, the faithful fight

Engraves the knowledge with a beam of light. (Euclid)

 

Additionally, a research paper published by the Acta Didactica Napocensia research journal explored the significant difference in the approach towards mathematics through traditional methods using pen and paper versus models and computer simulations. The results derived from the experiment demonstrate a 62.7% success rate in solving questions via traditional methods in contrast to a 100% success rate in those who had access to a model representation of the question (Debrenti 5), this data further supports the claim that visual representation is effective in the communication and apprehension of information with mathematics as the area of knowledge.

 

One can argue that Visual representations can be helpful in communicating knowledge in the field of economics, especially while addressing the graphs and diagrams in the area of knowledge, however, they are not always successful in communicating this knowledge effectively. Economics is a discipline which encompasses complex systems and relationships, and visual representations facilitate the assimilation of large data, identification of patterns and depiction of trends within the real world. For example, line charts, bar charts, and scatter plots can be used to represent economic data such as GDP, inflation, and unemployment rates.

 

Economics is an area of knowledge that comprises of numerous disciplines including mathematics, philosophy and psychology. The use of graphical representations is a necessary aspect in the apprehension of the perplexing concepts within the subject such as the production possibility curve (PPC) which provides a basic understanding of the possible quantities which two distinctive products can produce within a market, with adherence to concepts like scarcity and opportunity cost.

The gross domestic product (GDP) graph enables the understanding of the progress within a nation’s economy and what factors impact it, this information requires the sketching of graphs and diagrams to facilitate understanding thus the use of visual representation plays a crucial role.

 

Although visual representation is proven to be a convenient medium of knowledge communication, it may surcease to always be effective and is not always necessary as it refrains from communicating detailed information of communicated knowledge. For example, If one solely relies on economic diagrams to understand the economy, one may be exposed to limited knowledge, for example, although the real gross domestic product graph conveys information on tax and tariff it does not provide a holistic picture or in economic terms, the bird’s eye view is not achieved and only explored the economy and its GDP through a worm’s eye view by not accounting aspects like the black market, non-monetary exchanges for services such as babysitting. Furthermore, the AD-AS (aggregate demand and aggregate supply) graph shows the growth and recession within an economy, in figure 2, the increase in productivity resulting in long-run economic growth is displayed however the factors which result in this long-term growth are undefined, such as technology, investments in physical and human capital, and the economy’s ability to benefit from catch up growth. Additionally, visual representations can be less effective in communicating more abstract or theoretical concepts in economics such as game theory, welfare economics, etc. Therefore, it is important to consider the context, audience and level of understanding when choosing the best way to communicate knowledge in economics. The combination of visual representation and text can be more effective in some cases, where the visual representation can help to provide a clear overview of the information, while the text can provide more detailed information and explanations hence visual representation is not always necessary in communicating knowledge.

 

In conclusion, the argument of whether visual representation is always helpful in the communication of knowledge or not is subjective for both the learner and the area of knowledge. Visual representations can be extremely beneficial in communicating knowledge, particularly in the fields of human sciences and mathematics. In relation to human sciences, the use of visual representations through relevant diagrams can be used to communicate complex social and psychological concepts for deeper comprehensibility of information. Similarly, in mathematics, visual representations are integral in explaining lengthy mathematical concepts to develop a visual understanding, and the use of relevant graphs and diagrams enables the knowledge acquirer to get a holistic view of the data in a simplistic and coherent manner. Although visual representation greatly aids the communication of knowledge as justified by the two AoKs, it is important to note that visual representations may not always serve this purpose and could hinder one’s understanding such as a lack of complete information, this suggests that in certain situation communication of knowledge is more effective through text or other mediums. Additionally, it is important to be aware of the limitations of visual representations, such as the risk of oversimplifying complex information or inadvertently introducing bias, the context and audience are critical factors to consider when determining the mode of communication.

Debrenti, Edith. “VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS IN MATHEMATICS TEACHING: AN EXPERIMENT WITH STUDENTS.” Teaching of Multimedia Presentation Creation, vol. 8, 2015, p. 8. Acta Didactica Napocensia, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1064387.pdf. Accessed 1 December 2022.

 

Euclid. The First Six Book of The Elements of Euclid. Edited by Oliver Byrne, London William Pickering, 1847. Library of the University of Toronto, https://zlibrary.to/pdfs/the-first-six-books-of-the-elements-of-euclid-in-which-coloured-dia grams-and-symbols-are-used-instead-of-letters. Accessed 1 December 2022.

 

“Euclid - The laws of nature are but the mathematical...” Brainy Quote, https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/euclid_126362. Accessed 1 December 2022.

 

“Reading: Growth and Recession in the AS-AD Diagram | Macroeconomics [Deprecated] |.” Course Hero, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-macroeconomics/chapter/growth-and-recession -in-the-as-ad-diagram/. Accessed 05 January 2023.

 

Spencer, Emilee. “How to work best with the 4 different types of learners - Work Life by Atlassian.” Atlassian, 30 October 2018, https://www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/how-to-work-4-different-learning-types. Accessed 1 December 2022.