The document discusses the origins of mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia. It describes how the Babylonians developed a sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system that is still used today to measure time and angles. The sexagesimal system allowed the Babylonians to perform complex mathematical and astronomical calculations. It also explains that cuneiform notation was used to write numbers and language in Mesopotamia using wedge-shaped symbols imprinted on clay tablets. Finally, it provides an example of how Babylonians would calculate reciprocals using their sexagesimal system and reciprocal tables.
The document discusses the origins of mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia. It describes how the Babylonians developed a sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system that is still used today to measure time and angles. The sexagesimal system allowed the Babylonians to perform complex mathematical and astronomical calculations. It also explains that cuneiform notation was used to write numbers and language in Mesopotamia using wedge-shaped symbols imprinted on clay tablets. Finally, it provides an example of how Babylonians would calculate reciprocals using their sexagesimal system and reciprocal tables.
The document discusses the origins of mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia. It describes how the Babylonians developed a sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system that is still used today to measure time and angles. The sexagesimal system allowed the Babylonians to perform complex mathematical and astronomical calculations. It also explains that cuneiform notation was used to write numbers and language in Mesopotamia using wedge-shaped symbols imprinted on clay tablets. Finally, it provides an example of how Babylonians would calculate reciprocals using their sexagesimal system and reciprocal tables.
The document discusses the origins of mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia. It describes how the Babylonians developed a sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system that is still used today to measure time and angles. The sexagesimal system allowed the Babylonians to perform complex mathematical and astronomical calculations. It also explains that cuneiform notation was used to write numbers and language in Mesopotamia using wedge-shaped symbols imprinted on clay tablets. Finally, it provides an example of how Babylonians would calculate reciprocals using their sexagesimal system and reciprocal tables.
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Beginnings of Math in
Mesopotamia/Babylonian Objectives: • To familiarize with the history number system in Babylonian • Define and understand each topic in the lesson. • Convert bases into numbers. Sexagesimal (base 60 system) Sexagesimal Sexagesimal is a base-60 numeral system that was widely used in Mesopotamia and is believed to have originated there. It's a system of counting and measuring that is based on the number 60. This system is still evident in our modern measurement of time (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour) and angles (360 degrees in a circle). In ancient Mesopotamia, the sexagesimal system was used for various mathematical and astronomical calculations, and it played a crucial role in their mathematical achievements. Sexagesimal For example, if you want to express a time in the sexagesimal system:3 hours, 15 minutes, and 30 seconds would be written as: 3° 15' 30"
For example in expressing degrees:
45 degrees, 30 minutes, and 15 seconds would be written as: 45° 30' 15" Numeral System Sexagesimal Sexagesimal
14
10
5 Sexagesimal Sexagesimal
14 x 1 + 1 x 60 = 74 Sexagesimal
14 x 1 + 1 x 60 = 74
1 x 1 + 10 x 60 = 601 Sexagesimal
14 x 1 + 1 x 60 = 74
1 x 1 + 10 x 60 = 601
5 x 1 + 1 x 60 + 10 x 3600 = 36,065 Sexagesimal Cuneiform Notation Cuneiform Notation Cuneiform notation is one of the earliest known writing systems in human history.
• Clay Tablets: Cuneiform was primarily
written on clay tablets.
• Wedge-Shaped Characters: The name
"cuneiform" comes from the Latin words "cuneus" (wedge) and "forma" (shape). The characters in cuneiform were typically made up of combinations of wedge-shaped marks. Cuneiform Notation • Language Variants: Cuneiform was adapted to write several languages, including Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite, Hittite, and others. Different languages sometimes used the same cuneiform signs but with different meanings.
• Numerical Notation: Cuneiform was also used
for numerical notation. It utilized a base-60 system, which influenced the way we measure time and angles today, with 60 seconds in a minute and 360 degrees in a circle. Babylonian Reciprocal Table Reciprocal Table The Babylonian reciprocal table is a numerical table that was extensively documented by ancient Babylonians. It provides essentially lists of numbers and their reciprocals, expressed in sexagesimal (base-60) notation, which was a common numerical system in that region. Reciprocal Table In Mesopotamia, reciprocals were calculated using their base-60 numbering system. To find the reciprocal of a number, you would typically follow these steps:
1. Start with the number for which you want to find the reciprocal. 2. Convert this number into a sexagesimal (base-60) fraction. 3. In a base-60 system, 1/60 is represented as 1. This is similar to how 1/10 is represented as 0.1 in our decimal system. 4. Divide 1 by the sexagesimal representation of the number to find its reciprocal. For example, let's say you want to find the reciprocal of 5 in Mesopotamian base-60: 1. Convert 5 into a sexagesimal fraction. In base-60, it remains 5.
2. Divide 1 by 5: 1 ÷ 5 = 0.2.
So, the reciprocal of 5 in
Mesopotamian base-60 would be 0.2. References https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal
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