Configuration Spaces
and the problem of applying mathematics.
Mathematicians love turning a complicated situation into a very simple situation by getting rid of lots of information. In fact, using mathematics is frequently the process of taking two completely different situations and throwing away enough information so that the two situations become the same. Let's throw some information away!
Suppose we are looking at a situation where some very easy arithmetic applies:
Ester gave Fanny $8.21 at school but Fanny lost 5 quarters on the way home. What does Fanny have left?
How much information can we discard?
