Math History

Mathematics is nearly as ancient as writing itself. But, as civilizations began to become more sophisticated the idea of numbers and arithmetic were developed: "The field of mathematics owes much to Babylonia. The first people ever to formulate a system of arithmetic were the Sumerians." [1] This occurred more than 3,000 years B.C. It is clear, however, that the idea of mathematics was not a so-called "Western" innovation,. But, rather, came from India's Hindi languages which were carried to the Arabian area where what we today call "Arabic numbers" were formulated. Even this development has no precise date. Here is some of what has been established and verified: "The oldest definitely dated European manuscript to contain the Hindu-Arabic numerals is the Codex Vigilanus, written in the Albelda Cloister in Spain in 976. A Vatican Library manuscript of 1077 also contains the numerals, written similar to modern symbols"[2]

As mathematicians continued to develop the Arabic numerals based on Indian origins, as the Renaissance began in Western Europe, the In do-Arabic mathematical influence traveled to new developments, especially in a simple language more4 people could understand: "In the early fourteenth century, a new class of professional mathematicians produced a set of practical mathematical texts largely based on Islamic algebraic work. These 'abacists' taught merchants how to use the Hindu-Arabic system, introduced some abbreviations and symbols for operations

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Category: History - M