The hidden magic of numbers

It was in the afternoon, and Lorenzo came home with a backpack that seemed heavier than usual. As soon as he entered, he slammed the door behind him, as if trying to leave the world outside. Giulia, his mother, who was reading on the couch, looked up and immediately noticed his dark expression.

"Mom! I can't take it anymore! I hate math!" he said, with a tone that left no room for discussion.

Calmly, Giulia put down her book and walked over to him. "Oh, really?" she said with a serene smile. "So, if you hate math, do you also hate God?"

Lorenzo looked at her surprised. "What does God have to do with math?" he replied, angry.

Giulia sat down next to him, her gaze full of patience. "It has everything to do with it," she said. "Mathematics is the language with which God created the universe. Every law that governs our existence, every formula that describes what we see and touch, is the result of that language. Learning math allows you to attune yourself to that language. It's like having a key to decipher the world around us."

Lorenzo, still skeptical, calmed down a little, trying to understand what his mother was trying to tell him. Giulia continued, deciding to take him deeper.

"See," she said, "Math isn't just numbers and calculations you do at school. It's the foundation of everything around us. Every invention, every creation, even the ones that seem to have nothing to do with math, are actually infused with it."

Francesco looked at her confused, so Giulia decided to give an example he could relate to. "Imagine a book, your favorite book. The one you hold in your hands, with its cover, pages, and binding. It might seem like math has nothing to do with it, but it's because of math that book was made. To know the exact dimensions of the cover, to calculate the space between the lines, to create the perfect format, mathematical calculations are used. The same geometry you learned at school, the one that seems so complicated to you, is at the core of every part of that book."

Lorenzo remained silent, but Giulia didn't stop. "Take a painting, for example. When an artist creates, their art seems far from math, but if you look closely, you'll notice that the painting they create is geometric, just like the world we see. Proportions, symmetry, perspective: everything is governed by mathematical laws. And if a painter needs to cut a piece of wood to create a frame, math comes into play there too. The calculations to know how to make the cuts, the exact dimensions, are determined by geometry."

Lorenzo looked at her now with a new awareness. Giulia smiled, satisfied with his growing interest. "And then there's music," she added, "Everyone thinks music is just emotion, but even music follows a precise rhythm. Every song you listen to has a structure based on mathematical intervals, note frequencies, timing, and durations. Every melody has a mathematical composition that determines its harmony. There's no music without rhythm, and there’s no rhythm without numbers."

Giulia moved even closer, gently cupping Lorenzo’s face in her hands. "Lorenzo, math isn’t just for solving problems on a worksheet. It’s the foundation of everything we see around us. From the music that makes us dream to the painting that moves us, to the chair we sit in every day. We, as children of God, have an incredible power: the ability to create. And math is the tool that allows us to do it. It’s not just something you learn at school, it’s a language that connects us to the beauty of the universe."

From that day on, whenever Lorenzo faced a math problem that seemed impossible to tackle, he remembered his mother’s words. "God’s language is complex, but it’s not impossible." Not that he suddenly found math easy, but he began to approach it with interest, as something no longer just an obstacle, but a key to understanding the world better. Every time he faced a new equation or formula, he asked himself, "What mathematical law is hidden behind this? How can I use it to discover something new?"

Lorenzo, still thinking math was difficult, began to look at it in a different light. He started to see everything around him as the result of a mathematical process, and slowly realized that with patience and dedication, even he could use it to create and understand the world in ways he had never imagined.

If you want to explore even more how math is not just a school subject but a true key to understanding and creating the world around us, read my article "We can't live without mathematics." You’ll discover why this discipline is essential to building the future we want.

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