Mathematics: All Classes: Wednesday 8.2.6: 1. period

[charlieeppes.livejournal.com]

"Next Wednesday, we'll - well, you -- will be having the first test of the year!" Charlie beams at the students over his coffee cup. The students may not share his enthusiasm. "So today you will read some and Friday you will look at what we've done so far in class."

As usual, there is breakfast on the table for those who want.


Beginners
100 words on the topic of your choice in History of Mathematics.

Intermediates
100 words on the Mathematician of your choice.

Advanced
Which Math Prize would you rather win and why?

Comments

Beginners

[charlieeppes.livejournal.com]

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Re: Beginners

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Pippi scribbles down something about the Moscow papyrus, which is an Egyptian Middle Kingdom papyrus dated circa 2050 BC - 1800 BC.

The papyrus contains word problems, which Pippi states she doesn't like as a rule because they are confusing and rarely have anything to do with anything important. Or at least important to her. She supposes that finding the volume of a pyramid was important to the Egyptians, but she's never needed to build one. However, she concedes that should she need to build one, she now knows where to go for the formula.

Re: Beginners

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

Kiki writes about Persian and Arabic Mathematics completely C&P'd from Wiki:

The Islamic Caliphate (Islamic empire) established across the Middle East, North Africa, and in parts of India in the 8th century preserved and translated much of the Greek mathematics which was at that time largely forgotten in Europe. Indian mathematics, and the introduction of the Hindu-Arabic numerals, also had a major influence on Islamic mathematics. Like the Hindu mathematicians, Islamic mathematicians were especially interested in astronomy. The works of Brahmagupta were translated into Arabic circa 766.

Re: Beginners

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

Cameron writes up an essay on Chinese mathematics, concentrating on the Shang period.

Dating from the Shang period (1500 BC - 1027 BC), the earliest extant Chinese mathematics consists of numbers scratched on tortoise shell. These numbers use a decimal system, so that the number 123 is written (from top to bottom) as the symbol for 1 followed by the symbol for a hundred, then the symbol for 2 followed by the symbol for ten, then the symbol for 3. This was the most advanced number system in the world at the time, and allowed calculations to be carried out on the suan pan or Chinese abacus.

Re: Beginners

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip writes out an essay Which he totally c/ped from wikipedia on Reinaaisance mathematicians.

In Europe at the dawn of the Renaissance, most of what is now called school mathematics -- addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and geometry -- was known to educated people, though the notation was cumbersome: Roman numerals and words were used, but no symbols: no plus sign, no equal sign, no zero, and no use of x as an unknown. Almost all of the mathematics now taught in college had yet to be discovered, or was known only to the small and isolated mathematical community in India.

Contact with Islamic scholars brought to Europe knowledge of the Hindu-Arabic numerals. In the 12th century Robert of Chester translated Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah into Latin. The works of Aristotle were rediscovered, first in Arabic and later in Greek. Of particular importance to the development of mathematics was the rediscovery of a collection of Aristotle's logical writing, compiled in the 1st century, known as the Organon.

Re: Beginners

[bruiser-in-pink.livejournal.com]

Molly turned in 100 words on Ancient Indian mathematics.

Re: Beginners

[anole-x.livejournal.com]

Victor writes about ancient Indian mathmatics. c/p from Wiki for convinience

The earliest known mathematics in ancient India dates back to 3000 BC with the Indus Valley civilization. After its collapse in 1700 BC however, writing was absent in South Asia for a long period. There is considerable controversy regarding the dates when writing was re-developed in India and when the Brahmi script was developed. Some scholars, such as Georg Bühler, date the Brahmi script as early as the 8th century BC, others from the Maurya dynasty in the 4th century BC. Some evidence dates it to 600 BC, while some scholars even suggest 1000 BC. If the earlier dates are correct, it is possible that Pythagoras traveled to India and learnt mathematics there, as some have claimed (such as Florian Cajori). If the later date is correct, then Indian mathematics may have benefited from contact with Greece following the invasion of Alexander. It is also likely that the two mathematical traditions developed independently.