WHY CORE CURRICULUM? WHY ART AND NATURE ENHANCE CREATIVITY? A MATHEMATICAL EXPLANATION

Abstract

Students majoring in mathematics or computer science also have to take additional classes in language, history, philosophy, etc. These classes - that all students have to take, irrespective of their major - are known as core curriculum. Students are often not happy with the need to study subjects outside their major - they view it as waste of time - but empirical evidence shows, surprisingly, that these classes help students be more successful in their majors. In this paper, we provide a mathematical explanation for this unexpected phenomenon. The main idea behind this explanation also helps explain why, e.g., art and nature often enhance the creativity of math and computer science students and professionals.