Math Around the World

Choose a country and describe in your own words the mathematics people did in that country in ancient times.

Babylonians Math

Babylonians used clay tablets to do math in them. The clay tablets included fractions, algebra, quadratic and cubic equations. It also had the Pythagorean theorem, and the calculation of Pythagorean triples. Also the Babylonian tablet gives an aproximation to the square root of 2 to 6 decimal places. The Babylonian mathematical system was sexagesimal. Babylonian mathematicians also developed algebraic methods of solving equations. The Babylonians also used geometry and trigonomaetry.

Math in China, by Muting

Do you want to know more about the math in ancient china? Let me tell you some, there's a lot a math that the ancient Chinese use, the scales, the abacus and even some of the numbers that the ancient Chinese use. Abacus is one of them, you think the calculator is more easy than an abacus, but when you learn it, it is easy. The abacus have the top and bottom, each circle on top represent 5, and each circle at the bottom represent 1, so at the bottom when you use the thumb move up 1 that means 1, but at the top, when you use the middle finger move down 1, that means 5. That's how the Chinese use the abacus for hundreds ago. The ancient Chinese also use the easy symbol to calculate the math, for example, they place the zero, in to space, so it is easy to remember like the picture that show. They also use the negative numbers, they use it at the last of the number and cross it out so it means negative.

Euclid's Element by Susan L.

Euclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise, consisting of 13 books, written by the Hellenistic mathematician Euclid in Alexandria circa 300 BC. It comprises a collection of definitions, postulates also called axiom, propositions, and mathematical proofs of the propositions. The 13 books cover Euclidean geometry and the ancient Greek version of elementary number theory. The Elements is the oldest extant axiomatic deductive treatment of mathematics, and has proven instrumental in the development of logic and modern science. Euclid's Elements is the most successful textbook ever written. It was one of the very first works to be printed after the printing press was invented, and is second only to the Bible in number of editions published. It was used as the basic text on geometry throughout the Western world for about 2,000 years. For centuries, when the quadrivium was included in the curriculum of all university students, knowledge of at least part of Euclid's Elements was required of all students. Not until the 20th century did it cease to be considered something all educated people had read.

Jenny's Mayan Number at Ancient Mexico

Do you know that Mexico used ancient math? The Maya is an acient tribe in Mexico. The Mayan system of writing numbers was very simple. The way they wrote out numbers was using bars and dots. Each dot represents a 1 and each bar represents a 5. They could used the same system and also they could write out any number from one to twenty by placing bars and dots on top of eachother. There is another way that we could used it, by add two of the Mayan numverals together very easily by adding the dot together. The Mayan system was similar like we are having symbols right now.This same system are also used today in the tribes suchas Hopi and Inuits. They can also add with these large number easily because it mostly be small digits. This is the way that you guys could figure out the Mayan number. First add together the bars and dots in the 1s place. When the sum is over twenty, there will be some carrying to the next will involved. Next, you add the bars and dots in together that are in the 20s place. However, they could used other materials to helps you figure out. Also in the acient time, they used to trade with he same amount of things so they wont get ripped off. Eventually, every country math started to spread over the world and people are started learning and it is alsoo really useful over the world.

Prime numbers

Eucild was the first to prove that prime number is infinity because it goes on forever and ever. He used the well known prime number to add it to every product. For example, 2*3+1=7. Then he continue by adding 5 to the same problem, 2*3+5+1=31 and it came out to be a prime number too. Unfortunally some of the problem didn't come out to be a prime number but there are still more prime when he keep doing the process. This is his proof:P1,P2,P3,..Pn representing the prime and the numbers. Multiply them and then add by 1 calling this a new interger q. When hte multipy and add to equal to q it is a prime number. When the answer is not q then it have to be divided by and it's called r. Dividing q with the prime number will come to a remainder 1 so it can not be a prime number.

Fruity Mathematics used by Ancient Muslims

In this paragraph I'll be talking about how the ancient life of Muslims used mathematics, especially trigonometry.


Trigonometry is also mostly a Muslim creation. It is a branch of mathematics which studies plane and spherical triangles. It developed from the need of astronomers to map points in the sky on a heavenly sphere. Trigonometry's functions, involving ratios such as sine and cosine, tangent and cotangent, were greatly developed and refined in the Islamic lands.



Arab contributions:

Al-Tusi, a Muslim, is the "father of trigonometry".
The idea of trigonometry was originally from the Greeks, by Hipparchus in 140 BCE.
The Muslims further developed trigonometry from their work in astronomy.
Today astronomers use trigonometry for calculating distances to stars, and for measuring distances and heights of buildings, trees, etc.


Top: Western Arabic or Hindu-Arabic Numerals

Below: Modern Arabic numerals which developed from them

[ Still Under Construction ]

Vicky`s Blog 8

In this blog, we are supposed to pick a country and talk about their history development in math. China was the country who proved that the Pythagorean theorem or the right-angle triangle theory was true. The theory stated that if you add the squares of the legs of the right angle, it is equal to the squares of the hypotenuse (the longest leg). A mathematician name Chou Pei proved it using the picture on the left known as chi-chu. It means the piliing up of squares. China used it as a way to solve algebraic equations using geometry. The picture on the right is a diagram by Zhou Bi. There are four 3 by 4 rectangles around a 1 by 1 square. The four triangles make a tilted square. This was also used to solve the pythagorean theorem.

Jon's Country of Math

The Ancient Aztec Calender has many different designs to tell the month, the day, and the year. The top rectangular shaped elemnets represent 13Acatl orThirteen Reed. They say that it represents the date upon which the Aztec Calender was made. They started to times all the numbers that represent the shapes together. 4 x 29 x 49 x 8 x 26 = 665600 after they got that number they used the Maya Companion number to get the number 1366560. The one thing that remains to be computed is the 13 Acatl number but someone would already visualize the symbolic math of the 1366560 day count number on the Aztec Calender.

Janet's Calender in China

Did you know that China had a calender? The chinese calendar represents the longest unbroken sequence of time. Time measurement, recording, and prediction of events were the development of the calender and early math. The chinese calendar started around the year 2953 B.C. The chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle and we still use it today. The chinese calender spread all the way to Japan and Korea. The chinese calender was considered a sacred document. The zodiac has twelve branches and is based on a 360 degree circle. The year is divided into 24 periods. There is also tweleve different animals in the chinese zodiac.

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