Many times students will ask "Where does math come from?" Interestingly enough many math courses only teach about formulas and problem solving, and never address this fundamental question. According to Greenberg (2008) the Greek historian Herodotus (fifth century B.C.) credits Egyptian surveyors, also known as "rope stretchers" with having originated the subject of geometry. Did you know the Egyptian priestly leisure class kept their math secret from the public? The Egyptians are also known for finding the correct formula for a truncated pyramid. According to Greenberg, the Babylonians were even more advanced than the Egyptians. They developed arithmetic using the base 60 (hexagesimal system). Today we use a decimal (10 base) system. The Hindu civilization on ancient India developed geometric information related to shape and sizes of altars and temples, and the Sulbasutra is one of the oldest mathematics texts currently known (~2000BC). Later, the Indians actually invented the number zero!
The ancient Chinese civilization also used math. According to Greenberg ancient China was mainly concerned about "practical matters" and developed the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art which included hundreds of problems on surveying, agriculture, engineering, and taxation (yes even math for taxation!). However, the Greeks ultimately developed and debated rigorous proofs. However, it doesn't stop there. Pythagoras was a spiritual leader, and along with his followers pursued mathematical studies. The Pythagoreans developed the concept of whole numbers and made observations regarding the length of vibrating strings with respect to harmonious sounds. These are just a few facts in a long line of mathematics history. To learn more you may want to check out Chapter 1 from the book Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry by Marvin Jay Greenberg.
Information referenced in this blog taken from:
Greenberg, M. (2008). Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries: Development and history. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company
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KIM! you gotta read this article:
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It talks about how important it is to teach kids-especially minority students-about the multicultural history of mathematics. Mathematics is often taught as only a European practice even if indirectly. Greenberg's chapter 1 does a great job of presenting the history of geometry as a multicultural undertaking. Thanks for writing about this.
Like Leah, I find your post most interesting, and I'm very curious about the value of teaching the history of mathematics (or how mathematical principles were discovered). One of the big problems with math education is that it can all seem like a big package that just landed, ready-made, on the teacher's desk. I am very intrigued by the idea of bringing the human factor into math education. I would love to read later on about any experimentation you do in this domain, Kim.
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