Ancient Egyptian Mathematics
The use of organized mathematics in Egypt has been dated back to the third millennium BC. Egyptian mathematics was dominated by arithmetic, with an emphasis on measurement and calculation in geometry. With their vast knowledge of geometry, they were able to correctly calculate the areas of triangles, rectangles, and trapezoids and the volumes of figures such as bricks, cylinders, and pyramids. They were also able to build the Great Pyramid with extreme accuracy. Early surveyors found that the maximum error in fixing the length of the sides was only 0.63 of an inch, or less than 1/14000 of the total length. They also found that the error of the angles at the corners to be only 12", or about 1/27000 of a right angle (Smith 43). Three theories from mathematics were found to have been used in building the Great Pyramid. The first theory states that four equilateral triangles were placed together to build the pyramidal surface. The second theory states that the ratio of one of the sides to half of the height is the approximate value of P, or that the ratio of the perimeter to the height is 2P. It has been discovered that early pyramid builders may have conceived the idea that P equaled about 3.14
Gillings, Richard J. Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1972. Weigel Jr., James. Cliff Notes on Mythology. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1991. Berggren, J. Lennart. "Mathematics." Computer Software. Microsoft, Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. 1993-1996. CD- ROM. . The third theory states that the angle of elevation of the passage leading to the principal chamber determines the latitude of the pyramid, about 30o N, or that the passage itself points to what was then known as the pole star (Smith 44). The original of the oldest elaborate manuscript on mathematics was written in Egypt about 1825 BC. It was called the Ahmes treatise. The Ahmes manuscript was not written to be a textbook, but for use as a practical handbook. It contained material on linear equations of such types as x+1/7x=19 and dealt extensively on unit fractions. It also had a considerable amount of work on mensuration, the act, process, or art of measuring, and includes problems in elementary series (Smith 45-48). Smith, D. E. History of Mathematics. Vol. 1. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1951. The earliest Egyptian texts were written around 1800 BC. They consisted of a decimal numeration system with separate symbols for the successive powers of 10 (1, 10, 100, and so forth), just like the Romans (Berggren). These symbols were known as hieroglyphics. Numbers were represented by writing down the symbol for 1, 10, 100, and so on as many times as the unit was in the given number. For example, the number 365 would be represented by the symbol for 1 written five
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