The first evidence found on numbers dates back 37,000 years ago in Africa.
The Evolution of Math and Algebraic Symbols
"If we wish to foresee the future of mathematics, our proper course is to study the history and present condition of the science" The Future of Mathematics, Henry Poincare
"The symbolic presentation of mathematics 'neither racks the memory with multiplicity of words, nor changes the [imagination] with comparing and laying things together; but plainly presents to the eye the whole course and process of every operation and argumentation'" The Key of the Matematicks, William Oughtred
37,000 years ago...
1650 B.C.
The Rhind Papyrus: Famous document from the Egyptians. It contained extensive tables that helped with computation.
3000 - 1000 B.C.
Ancient Egyptian Numeration
The Egyptians invented a base ten system. This system only used addition and doubling to operate with. They also did not use fractions, but instead called smaller parts by the "nth" term. They were able to solve linear equations and find the area and volume of circles, hemispheres, and cylinders.
Quiz
How would you write the number 23 in Egyptian numerals?
- A
- B
- C
Old Babylonian Period 1900 - 1600 B.C.
The Babylonians used a sexagesimal system. Instead of base ten, they used a system of base sixty.
Did you know?
Today, we still divide the hour by 60 and the minute into 60 seconds and this originated from the sexagesimal system!
V symbol represented "one" and the < symbol represented "ten"
Do you see a problem with this system? They did not have a place holder if a place value was empty.
The value of the whole number was found by adding the values, then multiply the left group by 60 and add that to the value of the right group.
Quiz
What number is this?
- 681
- 87
Greeks
600 B.C. - 400 A.D.
Pythagoras was an Ancient Greek philosopher. He was the leader of a group called the Pythagoreans. The Pythagoreans discovered incommensurable ratios.
Did you know?
What else was happening at this time?
Philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle (428 B.C. - 322 B.C.) were using mathematics in their philosophical reasoning.
Alexander the Great was also spreading the Greek language and pursuing a great empire. This resulted in a strong math tradition in Alexandria which became the Center