ANCIENT MATHEMATICS

Mathematics of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece

Mathematics of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece

The word mathematics comes from the ancient Greek and means "the art of learning." The earliest beginnings of mathematics can be seen on some tablets from Mesopotamia. These are, however, exclusively to computational examples that the solution could be derived for other problems. Mesopotamian civilization itself began to settle several millennia BC. Its importance lies in being the first to leave written evidence of their achievements, the tools to solve their daily problems, the importance of the gods, divination of his designs, the social structure of the people, the vicissitudes of history.

Concepts such as social class, building cities, teaching knowledge, imperialism, the defense of economic interests, expansion and control of land, agricultural use, trade and many others, found its first expression in Mesopotamia verifiable. Among the activities of that time greatly emphasizes the instrumental use of mathematical knowledge to solve economic problems every day. From the record number of items left in the temples or exchanged between the different economic agents, to geometric and algebraic calculations necessary for the construction of irrigation canals in the fields of mathematics will constitute an eminently practical, away from all abstract approach.

Mathematics does not exist as such but are a mere instrument for the resolution of problems and, from this point of view, the calculations generating a solution algorithms are constituted steps that must be followed in the proper order. The study of Mesopotamian mathematics today is taking interest to researchers who produce increasingly comprehensive studies but still insufficient. Thousands of tablets still remain to be studied, many of them of an accounting nature.

There is unanimous in saying that mathematics developed in Greece during the seventh and sixth centuries BC, the Greeks once formalized an alphabet more or less ...