Philosophy​ ​of​ ​Science Professor​ ​Izady

Bernarda​ ​Franco Oct.​ ​13,​ ​ ​2017

Donald​ ​in​ ​Mathmagic​ ​Land

The​ ​documentary​ ​“Donald​ ​in​ ​Mathmagic​ ​Land”​ ​is​ ​a​ ​film​ ​interpreted​ ​in​ ​cartoon
form​ ​that​ ​talks​ ​about​ ​Math​ ​and​ ​how​ ​it​ ​is​ ​incorporated​ ​not​ ​only​ ​in​ ​math​ ​formulas​ ​but​ ​also
in​ ​music,​ ​architecture,​ ​modern​ ​games,​ ​etc.​ ​The​ ​film​ ​starts​ ​off​ ​with​ ​Donald​ ​Duck​ ​when​ ​he
discovers​ ​an​ ​unfamiliar​ ​world​ ​that​ ​is​ ​replete​ ​with​ ​numbers​ ​and​ ​mathematic​ ​symbols,
both​ ​literal​ ​and​ ​abstract.​ ​The​ ​film​ ​continues​ ​with​ ​Donald​ ​duck​ ​wandering​ ​the​ ​foreign
place​ ​until​ ​the​ ​narrator​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film​ ​begins​ ​a​ ​conversation​ ​with​ ​Donald​ ​and​ ​explains​ ​to​ ​him
that​ ​he​ ​is​ ​in​ ​Mathmagic​ ​Land​ ​and​ ​takes​ ​him​ ​on​ ​a​ ​journey​ ​to​ ​ancient​ ​Greece​ ​to​ ​show
Donald​ ​the​ ​birth​ ​of​ ​Math​ ​with​ ​Pythagoras.

In​ ​Greece​ ​Donald​ ​learns​ ​the​ ​relation​ ​between​ ​mathematics​ ​and​ ​music.​ ​Donald
also​ ​learns​ ​that​ ​Pythagoras​ ​followers,​ ​the​ ​“Pythagoreans”​ ​had​ ​a​ ​secret​ ​society​ ​to​ ​share
their​ ​mathematical​ ​discoveries​ ​and​ ​they​ ​all​ ​had​ ​a​ ​symbol;​ ​a​ ​pentagram​ ​which​ ​Donald
later​ ​learns​ ​that​ ​the​ ​pentagram​ ​is​ ​composed​ ​of​ ​lines​ ​which​ ​are​ ​all​ ​proportionate​ ​and​ ​are
in​ ​relation​ ​to​ ​the​ ​golden​ ​section.​ ​Donald​ ​continues​ ​his​ ​journey​ ​and​ ​learns​ ​the​ ​way​ ​this
proportion​ ​system​ ​can​ ​be​ ​found​ ​in​ ​nature,​ ​architecture,​ ​art,​ ​etc.​ ​The​ ​narrator​ ​introduces
Donald​ ​to​ ​another​ ​situation​ ​where​ ​Math​ ​is​ ​found;​ ​games​ ​and​ ​sports.​ ​Donald​ ​is​ ​taught
how​ ​Chess,​ ​Billiard​ ​and​ ​baseball​ ​have​ ​proportional​ ​dimensions​ ​and​ ​are​ ​played​ ​through
mathematical​ ​strategy.​ ​The​ ​last​ ​thing​ ​Donald​ ​is​ ​taught​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​how​ ​all​ ​shapes​ ​are
related​ ​one​ ​way​ ​or​ ​another​ ​and​ ​they​ ​are​ ​used​ ​to​ ​create​ ​the​ ​objects​ ​we​ ​use​ ​in​ ​the
modern​ ​world​ ​such​ ​as​ ​balls,​ ​lenses,​ ​wheels,​ ​etc.​ ​At​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film​ ​the​ ​last​ ​quote​ ​is
said​ ​“Mathematics​ ​is​ ​the​ ​alphabet​ ​in​ ​which​ ​God​ ​has​ ​written​ ​the​ ​Universe”.

The​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film​ ​was​ ​very​ ​clear​ ​from​ ​the​ ​beginning.​ ​Even​ ​if​ ​the​ ​title​ ​of​ ​the
film​ ​was​ ​not​ ​exhibited,​ ​its​ ​purpose​ ​is​ ​well​ ​stated​ ​during​ ​the​ ​process​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie.
Donald​ ​entered​ ​a​ ​dark​ ​world​ ​which​ ​in​ ​the​ ​viewer’s​ ​understanding​ ​means​ ​that​ ​it​ ​was
undiscovered​ ​or​ ​unfamiliar;​ ​this​ ​new​ ​obscure​ ​world​ ​was​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​numbers,​ ​which​ ​gives
the​ ​impression​ ​that​ ​the​ ​film​ ​has​ ​something​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​mathematics.

The​ ​movie​ ​is​ ​simple​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​in​ ​my​ ​opinion,​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​in
cartoon​ ​form.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​film​ ​had​ ​been​ ​portrayed​ ​by​ ​real​ ​people​ ​in​ ​a​ ​set,​ ​the​ ​point​ ​of​ ​the
movie​ ​would​ ​not​ ​have​ ​been​ ​as​ ​clear​ ​as​ ​in​ ​the​ ​cartoon​ ​version.​ ​The​ ​reason​ ​why​ ​it​ ​is​ ​easy
to​ ​understand​ ​this​ ​specific​ ​film​ ​in​ ​cartoon​ ​form​ ​is​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​circumstances​ ​that
happen​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​film​ ​for​ ​instance,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film​ ​Donald​ ​walks
through​ ​a​ ​dark​ ​place​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​what​ ​seems​ ​to​ ​be​ ​trees​ ​but​ ​are​ ​actually​ ​numbers
portraying​ ​to​ ​be​ ​trees,​ ​or​ ​when​ ​the​ ​narrator​ ​literally​ ​takes​ ​Donald​ ​to​ ​Ancient​ ​Greece.
This​ ​could​ ​only​ ​be​ ​done​ ​in​ ​cartoon​ ​form​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​easier​ ​to​ ​believe​ ​for​ ​the​ ​audience​ ​since
if​ ​the​ ​film​ ​was​ ​done​ ​with​ ​real​ ​characters​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​impossible​ ​to​ ​take​ ​someone​ ​to
ancient​ ​greece​ ​the​ ​way​ ​they​ ​did​ ​in​ ​the​ ​cartoon.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​why​ ​it​ ​is​ ​easier​ ​for​ ​the​ ​audience
to​ ​believe​ ​and​ ​understand​ ​what​ ​they​ ​see​ ​in​ ​cartoons​ ​no​ ​matter​ ​how​ ​unrealistic​ ​it​ ​is​ ​than
to​ ​see​ ​real​ ​people​ ​in​ ​a​ ​film​ ​attempting​ ​to​ ​do​ ​unrealistic​ ​things.​ ​Although​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​not
long,​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​it​ ​easier​ ​to​ ​watch​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​comedy​ ​in​ ​some​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film.
Another​ ​strong​ ​point​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​when​ ​the​ ​narrator​ ​relates​ ​the​ ​golden​ ​section​ ​and​ ​the
proportions​ ​of​ ​a​ ​pentagram​ ​to​ ​nature,​ ​unlike​ ​architecture​ ​of​ ​games,​ ​nature​ ​is​ ​something
humans​ ​cannot​ ​control​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​both​ ​fascinating​ ​and​ ​mysterious​ ​that​ ​nature​ ​follows​ ​that
proportion​ ​system.

Although​ ​the​ ​film​ ​was​ ​very​ ​clear​ ​and​ ​well​ ​illustrated,​ ​there​ ​are​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​of​ ​things
that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​improved.​ ​One​ ​of​ ​them​ ​being​ ​the​ ​way​ ​Donald​ ​Duck​ ​speaks.​ ​It​ ​is
understandable​ ​that​ ​Donald​ ​is​ ​a​ ​character​ ​that​ ​was​ ​invented​ ​for​ ​children​ ​but​ ​even​ ​as​ ​an
adult,​ ​It​ ​is​ ​sometimes​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​what​ ​he​ ​is​ ​saying.​ ​Another​ ​weak​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the
film​ ​in​ ​my​ ​opinion​ ​is​ ​at​ ​the​ ​last​ ​part​ ​when​ ​the​ ​narrator​ ​shows​ ​Donald​ ​how​ ​by​ ​cutting
shapes​ ​or​ ​putting​ ​together​ ​different​ ​shapes​ ​he​ ​can​ ​make​ ​an​ ​object​ ​that​ ​we​ ​use​ ​today​ ​in
society​ ​like​ ​cutting​ ​a​ ​sphere​ ​we​ ​get​ ​a​ ​lens,​ ​rolling​ ​a​ ​circle​ ​can​ ​make​ ​a​ ​wheel,​ ​etc.​ ​The
reason​ ​why​ ​I​ ​believe​ ​this​ ​as​ ​a​ ​weak​ ​part​ ​is​ ​because​ ​there​ ​are​ ​more​ ​shapes​ ​than​ ​a
circle,​ ​a​ ​triangle​ ​and​ ​a​ ​rectangle;​ ​there​ ​are​ ​an​ ​indefinite​ ​number​ ​of​ ​shapes​ ​and​ ​It​ ​is
possible​ ​to​ ​make​ ​any​ ​object​ ​by​ ​mixing​ ​together​ ​different​ ​shapes​ ​and​ ​cutting​ ​them​ ​to
obtain​ ​what​ ​we​ ​want.

The​ ​film​ ​relates​ ​to​ ​the​ ​lecture​ ​in​ ​class​ ​about​ ​Chaos​ ​to​ ​Cosmos​ ​that​ ​talked​ ​about
the​ ​Philosophers​ ​Pythagoras,​ ​Thales​ ​and​ ​Anaximenes​ ​and​ ​their​ ​theories​ ​about
everything.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​lecture,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​mentioned​ ​that​ ​Pythagoras's​ ​theory​ ​was​ ​“All​ ​is​ ​a
harmonic​ ​numerical​ ​formula”.​ ​The​ ​film​ ​explains​ ​Pythagoras's​ ​theory​ ​about​ ​how​ ​every
single​ ​thing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world,​ ​even​ ​nature​ ​and​ ​the​ ​solar​ ​system​ ​which​ ​are​ ​things​ ​that
humans​ ​cannot​ ​control,​ ​are​ ​related​ ​to​ ​the​ ​concept​ ​of​ ​proportions​ ​in​ ​mathematics.

The​ ​film​ ​was​ ​appealing​ ​since​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​ambiguity​ ​it​ ​produced
with​ ​Donald​ ​traveling​ ​through​ ​an​ ​unknown​ ​place.​ ​The​ ​graphics​ ​and​ ​animation​ ​also​ ​help
to​ ​understand​ ​the​ ​concepts​ ​better.​ ​Another​ ​aspect​ ​that​ ​I​ ​appreciate​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​that​ ​the
producers​ ​turned​ ​something​ ​that​ ​is​ ​supposed​ ​abstract​ ​into​ ​literal​ ​objects​ ​(square​ ​root​ ​in
the​ ​movie​ ​was​ ​actual​ ​trees​ ​square​ ​roots).​ ​The​ ​thing​ ​that​ ​I​ ​liked​ ​the​ ​most​ ​about​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is
that​ ​although​ ​it​ ​is​ ​an​ ​educational​ ​film,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​not​ ​boring​ ​and​ ​at​ ​the​ ​end​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​you​ ​go
want​ ​to​ ​try​ ​out​ ​the​ ​things​ ​shown​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film​ ​like​ ​drawing​ ​a​ ​pentagram​ ​or​ ​a​ ​golden​ ​section
and​ ​see​ ​if​ ​they​ ​work​ ​like​ ​they​ ​shown​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film.