Classification Essay

Mathematics

        Math is the study of numbers and forms--abstract concepts from the real world. They are not real in the sense of being things we can hear and see. We never really see numbers, not even 1, 2, and 3. Numbers are adjectives. We can only see concrete nouns--a dog, one dog, two dogs, and three dogs. Only the symbols for numbers are visible to our eyes. Mathematicians have abstracted numbers and shapes thereby creating an imaginary world where the real has been factored out.

one white dog and two brown dogs make three dogs
(1 dog + 2 dogs) = (1+2) dogs = 3 dogs
1 + 2 = 3 (the dogs are gone)

In the world of mathematics numbers, not dogs, are real. We can manipulate them using operations with well-defined, unique outcomes. When we add 2 and 3 we get 5. When we multiple them we get 6. Mathematicians extrapolate from these patterns to create whole new realms of numbers. They count forward to infinity, then backwards into a world of negative numbers. Then they fill in the spaces between the integers with rational and irrational numbers before heading on to imaginary and complex numbers.

        Shapes are similarly abstracted from a three-dimensional reality. Geometry starts with a few assumptions about lines and planes. It is assumed that they both have less than three dimensions, are perfectly straight, and go on forever. Only three-dimensional approximations actually exist in the real world. Points have no dimensions whatever. When math has discovered certain patterns this idealized world, it projects those patterns out into hyperspaces of four and more dimensions and even argues that fractal structures have fractional dimensions.

        Mathematics is not a natural science. While it may get inspiration from the natural world for the patterns that it explores, it is a completely imaginary world.

Math
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry

numbers, vectors, operations, shapes, size, proportion
sets, substitution, functions, equations, formula
logic, axioms, theorems
probability
abstract concepts, definite answer

Science

theory, experiment, hypothesis, observation

Physics
thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics
astrophysics, geophysics, electromagnetism

objects, waves, measure, laws
force, gravity, weight, energy, power
space and time, motion, speed, acceleration, heat, sound
electricity, magnetism, light, color

Chemistry

atoms, molecules, bonds, structure, formula
combinations, reactions
properties

Biology
anatomy, taxonomy, genetics, embryology, physiology, paleontology

plants, animals, microbes, biodiversity, species
genes, reproduction, growth, development
body, organs, nerves, cells

Classification Categories

topic--categories--items

Did you choose the categories? Are they original and interesting?
Can "new" items be placed?
Do categories overlap? unique assignments?
Are there any miscellaneous categories?
Are there any empty categories? categories with one item?
What principle did you use?
What is the relationship between categories and items?
What is the same within each category?
What is different between categories?
Is the relationship objective, subjective, or arbitrary?
What are you going to write about?

months (days)

by the four seasons

soccer players

by positions: forward, mid field, defense, and goalie

flowers

by the four seasons
lily?, sasanqua?

food

meat, vegetable, fruit, other (carbohydrates)
cheese, ice cream, peanuts, chocolate, mushroom, cornflake
chopsticks, fork, spoon, hand
meat, strawberry, donut, spaghetti, carrot
fish?, pizza?, jelly?, rice?, salad?

countries

by four religions: Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Jewish
Russia, Japan, Vietnam, Congo
India?, China?
by four sports: baseball, soccer, volleyball, and horse racing
Canada, Egypt, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Sudan
Japan?, Britain?

land animals

by mammal, "reptile", amphibian, and birds
spider, penguin, mosquito, platypus, cockroach, worm
salamander?, eft?, ant?, butterfly?

An easy way to think about ''classification'' is to think about a school putting students into classes (groups of students). There are many students, but only a few classes (maybe 3-5). As you know from your many years of experience as students,

(1) all students must be put in a class and
(2) no student should be put in two classes (no overlapping).

You might also imagine that when schools divide students into classes they like to avoid unbalanced classes sizes, particularly classes of only one or two students. If possible, they would move such students into one of the other classes.

A Classification Essay is a piece of writing that presents a way of dividing things (items rather than students) into classes. These things might be

physical items: musical instruments, alcoholic drinks, or countries;
things that are not physical: power, ways of studying, emotions; OR
a combination of both--desires (things that people want).

The first two steps in writing a Classification Essay are to figure out (1) the topic--what kind of items to divide up and (2) how to divide the items.

2a. brainstorm many items
2b. group items that are very similar (no interesting differences)
2c. brainstorm many objective differences between dissimilar items
2d. decide which differences are interesting enough to write about

There are many examples (=items, like ''students'') of _________________ (=topic) ,
but only a few kinds (=classes).

Fill-in the blank. Then continue writing.

Topics and items that students thought of:
What Classes could you divide the items into?

t o p i c s Musical instruments Alcohol Clothes Guitarists Wars Women Emotions Learning Heroes

i t e m s violin, trumpet, saxophone, snare drum, cymbals . . . . beer, wine, wiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, scotch . . . jeans, gakuran, suit, necktie, T-shirt, kimono, . . . Hendrix, Benson, Fuse, Clapton, Beck, Page . . . Iraq War, World War II, Boshin War, Vietnam War . . . Yukorin, Ayu, Oyuki, Miki Ando, Crystal, Kyon-chan . . . love, hate, happy, sad, anger, fear, embarrassment . . . memorization, practice, reflection . . . Lincoln, Prince Shotoku, Nobel, Eistein, Brad Pitt . . .

When deciding the topic and how to divide the items, you should keep in mind the last step--figuring out (3) what to write in your essay. It is best if you have based the division of items on a single principle (based on objective differences), one which is

(a) original, (b) useful, and/or (c) intellectually interesting.

Let's take countries as an example topic. There are about 200 countries. How could we divide them? by their first letters from A to Z. But ... such a division would be completely arbitrary. The classes would tell us nothing about the countries--nothing original, useful, or interesting--so there is nothing to write about.

We could divide them by location in the northern or southern hemispheres. That's a little more interesting, but still too obvious, almost trivial. Although we could point out that their seasons are reversed and try to explain how the classification would work for countries that are in both hemispheres, that would not be enough to make an essay interesting.

How about dividing countries by their political systems. That's much more complex. We have to think more deeply about each country. It's a little bit troublesome, perhaps, but much, much more interesting . And we'll have a much better essay when we're finished.

Only after deciding the topic and how to divide the items are we ready to start writing process (outline, rough draft, etc.). It would be nice to start off with an Introduction--a short paragraph that will introduce the topic and inform the readers how many classes we are going to divide the items into.

The bulk of the essay then will explain the principle we are using to divide the items. Usually there will be at least one paragraph (with at least 3 sentences in each) for each of the classes. Remember we are explaining the division of items--its complexity--the connections and, perhaps, interaction between the classes. This is NOT a personal essay. You should leave out all personal material and also any irrelevent details about the items themselves--details that have nothing to do with the division of items into classes.

Finally we'll want to end the essay smoothly by putting some final remarks into a short paragraph--a Conclusion.