History of mathematics
April 1, 2011
Ancient Egyptian mathematical papyrus
Mathematics, as the result of the arithmetic is already known in the earliest cultures. For instance, in the Egypt, the well-known Rhind papyrus. TheBabylonians developed a sophisticated number system based on the number 60. Also they used algebraic formulas as ab = ((a + b) 2 – (a – b) 2 ) / 4 and tables with powers to perform calculations faster. Moreover, they already knew the Pythagorean theorem. Abstract mathematics and science was first practiced in ancient Greece. With the demise of Greek culture, the development of mathematics in the West a temporary halt.
In the Middle Ages through Arab mathematicians, the digit 0 was introduced from India to Europe. A boom period began with the work of al-Khwarizmi around 820. and with the translation of Greek texts. Al-Khwarizmi is the origin of algebra attributed. The word algorithm is derived from his name. In the Middle Ages, Europe’s leading role in Arab culture could take over.
Today without mathematics it is impossible to imagine everyday life in many ways. We apply it on almost everyday facts, and we are confronted with it at a young age .
The main areas of mathematics originally arose from the need to make business calculations, to understand the relationships between numbers, to measure land and to predict astronomical events.These four needs can be roughly linked to the broad subdivision of mathematics in the study of:
* quantities ( arithmetic )
* structures ( algebra )
* space ( geometry ) and
* changes (or analysis ).
There are also other areas that deal with the relationships between the core of mathematics and other fields, such as logic, the set theory, and applied mathematics .
Filed under: Education,Mathematics
