Maths

[denis567]

One for our US friends to answer.
Why is 'maths' referred to as 'math' in the US, when it is clearly an abbreviation of 'mathematics'?

[MarkRae]

Well, at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, it's because they use the first four letters...

[ChuckFickens]

Wouldn't math be the abbreviation of mathematics whereas maths would be a contraction?

[squarebear]

It makes more sense than saying "maths" in my opinion.

[owdhamer]

Within the next 5 yrs we will be saying math.

[Buenchico]

The Concise Oxford Dictionary effectively answers your question when it classifies 'mathematics' as 'noun plural (also treated as singular)'.

Brits regard it as a plural, and hence retain the 's' on the end of the abbreviation. Our American cousins treat it as if it was singular, thus disregarding the fact that 'mathematics' ends with an 's'.

[DaisyNonna]

Laziness

[chelle7272]

Yes math makes sense to me. Calling it maths always irked me a little....

[MASS1961]

Math is just not right!

No reason, it's just not.

Maybe as I and many others have always said mathS

[sherrardk]

Go crazy and call it 'sums'.

[Buenchico]

Sherrardk:
When I was teaching I annoyed my head of department by removing the sign which said "Mathematics Department" and replacing it with on which read "Department of Hard Sums" ;-)

[rabet]

I agree with MASS. For some reason "math" just sounds silly; can't say why exactly, it just does!

[Hopkirk]

Math is just wrong, wrong, wrong

[craft1948]

It's a colonial thing.............

[ChuckFickens]

Neither of them are right or wrong, they are just different.

[Hopkirk]

Oh come on Chuck, next you will be saying it's OK to call autumn 'fall'

[DaisyNonna]

Neither is

[ChuckFickens]

I just think it's a little self centred for us to think that one is correct and one is incorrect, traditionally we would use maths and the Americans would use math, that doesn't make either way wrong.

[Hopkirk]

What's wrong with being self centred? The Americans certainly are.

[Mammar]

And while we're at it, do me a favour and put back the "u"s.

[Caran]

We do say Physics