Marco's 442 Blog

When it comes to word problems that we have uncovered from the past, we typically think of practicality. In ancient times, many of the problems had to do with applicable circumstances. Some may have to do with going to a market with a set amount of money, and figuring out how many of each specific item one may purchase. Others may deal with dimensions and space, such as the greatest dimensions possible to hold cattle. Compared to now, the questions they used back then were very much usable. They weren't abstract in the sense that most problems dealt with obstacles many faced in every day scenarios. However, I was fairly surprised after reading this article to find out that many of those applicable word problems were not very realistic. For example, in the article it mentioned that some examples focused on buildings and structures contained dimensions that were practically impossible to construct. In another example, Eleanor Robson questioned how a grain pile could ever be constru...

The Crest of the Peacock opened my eyes to the way of Eurocentric thinking. Not only did I not share the same beliefs as European cultural views towards math and its history, but I'm also extremely surprised at the lack of respect thrown towards the great mathematicians in history. First, I was surprised to learn that the Eurocentric view ignored contributions from various great nations in regards to mathematics. This was hard to take in because nowadays,we have a heap of evidence of advanced mathematics being used as early as 2000 B.C.E! The second thing to surprise me was the influence of mathematics on different countries. It seemed as though a multitude of nations interacted with one another and math was very much discussed and passed around here. Whether it was an Indian to Arab mathematics interaction, or a Greek to Egyptian interaction, mathematics were almost always passed around. People were very much interested in the structural and economic developments created possib...

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Speculation: 60 is a special number because it can be used in measurements of time. Seconds and minutes are all measured in base 60. Another cool concept is that 60 can be divisible by 1,2,3,4,5 and 6. This makes it so you can separate measurements in base 60 in multiple ways. Whereas in a base 10 format, you can only divide numbers by 1, 2, 5, and 10. Depending on what the Babylonians did with their numbers and mathematics, it might have been more useful to use a base 60 system. In our culture today, we, as mentioned earlier, use a base 60 counting system solely for the purpose of counting time. We also approximate monthly periods with 30 days at a time. Research: In history, the Babylonians, along with other historical cultures, used the 60 based number system for counting time and money. For example, a shekel was 1/60 of a mana. These systems were also used to measure angles, much like they are used today for the very same purpose! Research Sources

Before I begin reading, I would like to say that I personally believe math history should be a vital part of lesson plans for teachers. I believe, if done right, it can both evoke curiosity in students and teach students about how mathematics have evolved throughout history. Throughout history, people didn't educate themselves with math in hopes to perfect their scores on a standardized exam. Instead, they used mathematics to help make what was deemed impossible at the time into something realistically attainable. Computers, telephones, automobiles are relatively recent inventions, with exponential improvements made on a regular basis. I believe that helping students understand the uses of mathematics and their targeted struggles will build insight and fascination in students' minds.  The first topic of interest, the notion of bridging mathematical history with other subjects, made me consider the implications it had on academic structures in the school system. We now have...