Why is Mathematics called the Universal Language?
In: Mathematics
Mathematics is the language we use to precisely describe relationships. Mathematics cannot talk about the real world, it can only discuss an ideal world. Using math on the real world is always imprecise, because the world is fuzzy.
For example, imagine I’m holding two apples and say, “I have two apples.” What in the world does this mean? The objects I am holding may be different shapes, sizes, colors, etc., and I’m not counting the bowl of apples sitting on my counter at home. Saying, “I have two apples” is an imprecise convenience. Mathematics doesn’t care about this imprecision. In a math problem, none of these complexities matter. By discarding complexity, we gain clarity. This is why mathematics is good at crossing language barriers.
As complicated as mathematics is, it’s usually the simplest way to describe a concept. This makes it easy to translate.
To address some of the other comments rather quickly: mathematics is not actually universal (i.e. you can’t speak math to somebody who doesn’t speak it), it does not exist outside of language and there is absolutely nothing about math that is intrinsic. Like all languages, it is a system of rules (we call these axioms). A statement as simple as “1 + 1 = 2” carries a huge number of assumptions about value, operations, the set we are operating on, etc. It is dangerous to mistake common conventions for universal truths.
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