Arithmetic Algorithm

Submitted by:
Elijah Red Tingzon
John Daile Mike Custodio
Emerson Cabasa
Chester James Alvarado
Arthur Fuenteblanca
Prince Rafael Caber

Submitted to:
Mr. Fernando Medrina
History of Arithmetic Ancient Civilizations

Early Beginnings As societies advanced, so did their

understanding of arithmetic. By around 2000
BCE, the Egyptians and Babylonians had
The origins of arithmetic can be traced back to developed more sophisticated arithmetic
ancient civilizations around 3000 BCE, when operations, including basic rules for addition,
early humans began to develop numeral systems subtraction, multiplication, and division. The
to solve practical problems. The Sumerians in Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (circa 1650 BCE)
Mesopotamia are often credited as one of the is one of the earliest known documents that
first cultures to establish systematic methods for detail arithmetic methods used in ancient Egypt.
dealing with numbers, utilizing tally marks and
rudimentary counting tools like pebbles and
sticks. This early form of arithmetic was Notable Contributions:
primarily concerned with counting objects, such
- Egyptians: Utilized fractions and had a more
as livestock or trade goods, and laid the
complex numeral system.
foundation for more complex calculations.
- Babylonians: Established multiplication tables
and dealt with geometrical exercises.
Key Developments:

- Tally Marks and One-to-One Correspondence:

Greek Influence
Early humans used tally marks to keep track of
quantities, a method that established the basis
for counting. The ancient Greeks made significant strides in
- Numeral Systems: The Egyptians developed the study of arithmetic during the 6th century
hieroglyphic symbols for numbers, while the BCE. They shifted from practical applications to
Babylonians created a base-60 system that a more abstract understanding of numbers. The
influenced later mathematical concepts. Pythagoreans introduced rigorous mathematical
proofs and explored properties of numbers
beyond mere counting.
Important Concepts: Medieval to Modern Era

- Abstract Number Theory: The Greeks

recognized that numbers could represent more
During the Middle Ages, Islamic scholars made
than just physical quantities.
significant contributions to arithmetic by
- Theorems and Proofs: They developed preserving Greek texts and expanding upon
foundational principles that would influence them. Mathematicians like Al-Khwarizmi wrote
mathematics for centuries. influential works that introduced algorithms for
solving equations, which laid the groundwork
for modern algebra.
The Concept of Zero and Decimal System

Advancements:
The Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which
- Mechanical Calculators: Invented in the 17th
includes the concept of zero, emerged in India
century, these devices automated arithmetic
around the 5th century CE. This system was
calculations.
revolutionary as it introduced place value
notation and allowed for more efficient - Development of Number Theory: In the 18th
calculations. Arab mathematicians later refined and 19th centuries, mathematicians formalized
these concepts and transmitted them to Europe number theory and established axiomatic
during the medieval period. foundations for arithmetic operations.

Key Innovations: Contemporary Arithmetic

- Zero: Introduced as a placeholder, enabling the

representation of large numbers.
The 20th century saw a revolution in arithmetic
- Decimal System: Facilitated easier with the advent of electronic calculators and
computation compared to earlier systems. computers, drastically increasing both speed and
accuracy in calculations. Today, algorithms
underpin many aspects of arithmetic operations
in various fields, from finance to engineering.
Current Trends: sequence to form a number. Each digit, when the
number is written in expanded form, represents a
- Digital Calculators: Allow for rapid
multiple of a power of ten; for example, 247 = 2
computations that were once tedious by hand.
× 10^2 + 4 × 10^1 + 2 × 10^0. Therefore, this
- Computer Algorithms: Enable complex number system is called a base-10, or decimal,
mathematical operations performed at number system.
unprecedented speeds.

An algorithm that uses ten to an integer power n,

Conclusion 10^n, to perform calculations is a base-10
algorithm. Many of the rules that are used in
fundamental arithmetic are actually algorithms
The history of arithmetic reflects humanity's
for the base-10 system.
quest for understanding numerical relationships
and solving practical problems. From ancient
tally marks to modern algorithms, each The base-10 number system is used every day
advancement has built upon previous and may seem ordinary, but it is a very powerful
knowledge, shaping the way we approach and elegant system with which to express
mathematics today. numbers. Although most people may not be
aware of it, when adding and subtracting
Definition of an Algorithm numbers, for example, one is essentially using

An algorithm is a sequence of steps or shortcut rules that are based on base-10

instructions outlining how to solve a problem. algorithms.

One can think of an algorithm as a problem-

solving formula or recipe. The term "algorithm"
derives its name from al-Khwarizmi (c. 780–c.
850), an Arab mathematician who wrote an
influential book on algebraic methods.

The Hindu-Arabic Number System

In the Hindu-Arabic number system, it is often

referred to as the Arabic system, ten numerals or
digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) are used in a
Addition Algorithms In the first parenthesis, add 10 to 4, so 14 is
greater than 7.
Consider 448 + 246.
764 - 347 = (700 + 50 + 14) - (300 + 40 + 7)
The base-10 algorithm for the same problem is
shown explicitly below.

But 14 × 100 = (10 + 4) × 100 = 10 + 4 × 100. So now the resulting problem is to subtract 7
The 10 here is responsible for the 1 "carry-over" from 14, 40 from 50, and 300 from 700.
to 8, the first digit on the left. Therefore,
764 -347 = (700 -300) + (50 -40) + (14 -7)
= 6 × 10^2 + (8 + 1) × 10^1 + 4 × 10^0
=400 +10 +7
= 6 × 10^2 + 9 × 10^1 + 4 × 10^0
=417
= 600 + 90 + 4

= 694.
Another algorithm for subtraction is called
"subtraction by taking complements." Consider
764 -347 again. Adding the same number, c, to
both terms will not affect the answer because c +
Subtraction Algorithms (-c) =0. So effectively the value does not

A base-10 algorithm for solving the subtraction change.

problem 764 - 347 follows. 764 -347 = (764+c) - (347+c)

764 - 347 = (700 + 60 + 4) - (300 + 40 + 7)

Choose c so that 347+c becomes a multiple of

Here the idea is to subtract corresponding ten, say one thousand. Therefore, c =653.

numbers: 7 from 4, 40 from 60, and 300 from 764 -347 = (764+653) -(347+653)
700. It is known that 7 is greater than 4, and 7
=1,417-1,000
from 4 is -3, but suppose nothing is known about
negative numbers. In the first parentheses, write =417
60 as 50 + 10.

764 - 347 = (700 + 50 + 10 + 4) - (300 + 40 + 7)

Multiplication Algorithms 2. The second step is to multiply the numerator
by 10^3. This is necessary to keep the division
The following presents a multiplication
answer unchanged because multiplying both the
algorithm in a vertical and horizontal format.
dividend and divisor by the same number keeps
Consider24 ×12. To understand this, write 24 as
the fraction unchanged. Therefore, the decimal
20+4, and 12 as 10+2.
point in the dividend moves three places to the
Using the distributive property of multiplication right.
over addition, one can write

= (10 ×20) +(10 ×4) +(2 ×20) +(2 ×4)

3. The resulting problem is to divide 28,750.26
=200+40+40+8 by 21,685.

=288.

The third step is to proceed with long division to

Division Algorithm get the answer.

Consider the division of a decimal number by

another decimal number; for example, dividing
28.75026 by 21.685.

By using a division algorithm, this problem can

be solved in three steps:

1. The first step is to multiply the divisor by a

power of ten which makes it a whole number.
Multiplying by ten moves the decimal point one
place to the right. Therefore, the divisor should
be multiplied by one thousand or 10^3, because
there are three digits to the right of the decimal
point in the divisor.
References:

1. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/algorithms-
arithmetic
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_arithmetic
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mathematics
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Arithmetic
4. https://ucmas-usa.com/the-fascinating-history-of-arithmetic-pebbles-to-algorithms/
5. https://byjus.com/maths/arithmetic/
6. https://history-of-mathematics.org/Arithmetic.html
7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/mathematics/mathematics/arithmetic