this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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Science Memes

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Maths (mander.xyz)
submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Why do people in the UK and US say “maths” vs “math”?

[–] [email protected] 44 points 6 months ago (1 children)

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago (2 children)

There should be a trail of Us that have fallen off the ship.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago

colour> color

spourts > sports

[–] [email protected] 35 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Because it's the short form of "mathematics"

Although typically I've seen the UK call it maths and North Americans call it math.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Is the ending s kept on abbreviations of other singular nouns ending in s? Or is that unique to maths?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I would say we disagree with the premise of the question. Mathematics is not a singular noun. It's a plural. It's the field of all mathematics. Therefore you preserve the "s" because you abbreviate the singular and re-pluralise it.

So somebody in the UK might (not commonally) say "it's a math(matic) concept", but more likely to say "it's a concept from math(ematic)s" or "it's a mathematical concept".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

That’s interesting. What about talking about it as a subject or a class? Would you say maths are my favorite subject(s?) in school? Maths are my favorite class?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Good one, no way say maths is... I guess it's the subject of mathematics is my favourite.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

To the best of my understanding, mathematics isn't referencing a singular object but is used as an encompassing term to refer to content from multiple schools of mathematics e.g. geometry, statistics, calculus, algebra etc. Or in other words, all the subjects covered in math/maths class! 😊

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I prefer mafs

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Maphs could be used here too...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (4 children)

There's more than one type of math. Would you say physic?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Or sport?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

C m8 they'res only 1 kinda reel sport nd thats footie.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Germans and French do

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Do you guys also say Geographies? Or Histories? Do you take Arts classes? You take Physics, do you also have Chemistries and Biologies?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Yeah I get it, but I’m more curious why it’s said differently?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

There's usually a long explanation for these types of things which most of the time boils down to "because that's how people have been saying it and it's become the norm."

Many linguistical mistakes have been overused to the point of them changing their meaning. Take "decimation". It used to mean to kill 1 in every 10. Because it sounds cool and has been used in a lot of media, it now mainly means to kill or destroy a large part of something.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

The meaning of “siege” has gone from sitting outside a castle or town until everyone starves to just about any kind of military action involving a building. Probably partly because the Iran embassy Siege off the 80s was endlessly represented on TV by footage of the SAS breaking the siege by abseiling through the windows.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

You should be asking yourself that. ;)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Let me go count all my Lego.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Lego is the only correct version though, it is defined by the company that created it so its not 'open to interpretation' imo.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

I agree with you. A sheep and some sheep are the same to me 😂