On the heuristic power of mathematical representations

Abstract

AbstractI argue that mathematical representations can have heuristic power since their construction can be ampliative. To this end, I examine how a representation (a) introduces elements and properties into the represented object that it does not contain at the beginning of its construction, and (b) how it guides the manipulations of the represented object in ways that restructure its components by gradually adding new pieces of information to produce a hypothesis in order to solve a problem.In addition, I defend an ‘inferential’ approach to the heuristic power of representations by arguing that these representations draw on ampliative inferences such as analogies and inductions. In effect, in order to construct a representation, we have to ‘assimilate’ diverse things, and this requires identifying similarities between them. These similarities form the basis for ampliative inferences that gradually build hypotheses to solve a problem.To support my thesis, I analyse two examples. The first one is intra-field (intra-mathematical), that is, the construction of an algebraic representation of 3-manifolds; the second is inter-fields, that is, the construction of a topological representation of DNA supercoiling.