Babylonian and Egyptian Mathematics

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Babylonian and Egyptian Mathematics
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Introduction
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Babylon

• refers to any mathematics in Mesopotamia
• more than 400 clay tablets
• Cuneiform script
• approximation to v2
• Sexadecimal numeral system (base 60)

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Egyptian mathematics

• Refers to mathematics written in the egyptian
  language
• Greek replaced Egyptian as the written language
  of Egyptian scholars - Hellenistic mathematics
• when Arabic became the written language of
  Egyptian scholars Islamic mathematics

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• oldest text Moscow papyrus (2000 1800 BC)
• word or story problems
• volume of frustum
• Rhind papyrus(1650 BC)

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Egyptian Mathematics
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• earliest fully developed base 10 numeration
  system

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Babylonian mathematics
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• fractions, algebra, quadratic and cubic equations
• calculation of Pythagorean triples
• multiplication tables, trigonometry tables and
  methods for solving linear and quadratic
  equations

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Numerals

• written in cuneiform on a soft clay tablet
• astrological observations and calculations
• Abacus
• positional numeral system with base 60 (divisible
  by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30)
  which appeared 1900 BC to 1800 BC.

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• only two symbols for digits
• radix point was not used but was made clear from
  context
• space was left to indicate a place without value
  - zero, later on they devised a sign
• degrees, time

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• pre-calculated tables to assist
• used the lists of squares together with the
  formulas

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• Division
• table of reciprocals
• Quadratic equation