To some, Mathematics is arithmetic and numbers. Others see it as a tool by which we can measure and quantify position and space. The Greeks developed logical reasoning largely in the field of geometry, from which derived the concept of proof. Mathematical models are successful in describing the world around us because Mathematics also gives us the power to generalise. In fact, the laws of Nature have been discovered with and are written in the language of Mathematics.

In 1609 Johannes Kepler, after years of research into the motion of the planets, discovered that the equation of an ellipse matched the observations beautifully. At the time it was believed that the planets travelled along perfectly circular paths. Kepler's discoveries led to the realisation that it is possible to uncover laws of Nature by merging observations with hypotheses. Mathematics was the key to his work and led him to deduce that a physical force, which becomes stronger the nearer a planet is to the Sun, lay behind the motions of the planets. Issac Newton was later to identify that force as gravity. Before Kepler, the heavens were thought to be inhabited by gods and demons and that the planets were disembodied astrological influences. For two thousand years mankind regarded the natural world with fear and superstition, Kepler showed that Mathematics provided a 'blueprint' for creation. His work has led directly to our modern global civilisation and it is impossible to overstate the importance of the role Mathematics has played in shaping our view of the world.