The scope of Egyptian Mathematics
Mathematics is an advanced science that is connected to all other sciences and branches of study. The ancient Egyptians were possible the first civilization to practice the scientific arts. Ancient Egyptians had an advanced understanding of mathematics, because there are overwhelming examples in engineering, astronomy and administrators would not have been possible. Classical Greeks believed mathematics to have been invented in Egypt. (Fauvel 14) There are many different views on the origin of Egyptian mathematics believed to be practical need rather than intellectual interest. One classical Greek point of view is from Proclus fifth century AD: " According to most accounts geometry was first discovered among the Egyptians, taking its origin from measurement of areas. For they found it necessary by reason of the rising of the Nile, which wiped out everybody's proper boundaries. Nor is there anything surprising in that the discovery both of this and of the other sciences should have its origin in a practical need, since everything which is in process of becoming progresses from the imperfect to perfect. Thus the transition from perception to reasoning and from reasoning to understanding is natural. Just as exact knowledge of nu
Like hieroglyphs, the hieratic symbols changed over time but they under went more changes with six distinct periods. Initially the symbols were quite close to the corresponding hieroglyphs but their form diverged over time. These versions of hieratic symbols date from around 1800 BC. The two systems ran in parallel for around 2000 years with hieratic symbols being used in writing on papyrus, as for example in the Rhind Papyrus and the Moscow Papyrus, while the hieroglyphics continued to be used when carved on stone. Ancient Egyptians used the equivalent of the formula A=1/2 bh to find the area of a triangle. In the Rhind papyrus problem 51 the scribe shows how to find the area of a triangle of land of meret (side or height) 10 khet and of tepre (base or mouth) 4 khet. The scribe took the half 4, then multiplied 10 by 2 obtaining the area of 20 setats of land. Papyrus scrolls date back to at least 2,500 BC, which is before the pyramids were constructed. The oldest ones are about mathematics. A remarkable number of papyri have been found, protected from decomposition by the dry heat of the region though they often lay unprotected in desert sands or burial tombs. mbers received its origin among Phoenicians by reason of trade and contracts, even so geometry was discovered among the Egyptians for aforesaid reason."(Fauvel 21)
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 7987
Approximate Pages = 32 (250 words per page double spaced)
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