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# Chapter 1: History of Mathematics ## Lesson Objectives - Discuss the development of mathematics from ancient times to the present. - Develop an appreciation for modern mathematics as a product of the contribution of different ages, cultures, and individual mathematicians. The mathematics that w...

# Chapter 1: History of Mathematics ## Lesson Objectives - Discuss the development of mathematics from ancient times to the present. - Develop an appreciation for modern mathematics as a product of the contribution of different ages, cultures, and individual mathematicians. The mathematics that we know in the modern world has its roots in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Babylonia. Then it was developed in Greece, and simultaneously in China and India. This ancient Greek mathematics, along with some influence of Hindu mathematics spread to the neighboring countries in the Middle East. It was translated into Arabic and Latin and was adopted by Western Europe. Western education was spread throughout the world by colonization and trade. Today’s Mathematics has been enriched by the contributions of different civilizations and individual mathematicians who unselfishly passed on their discoveries and knowledge to us. It is therefore fitting for us to look back and appreciate how Mathematics have developed and who made these developments possible. ## 1.1 Development of Mathematics from Ancient Times to the Present | Period | Information | |---|---| | 4000 - 3000 B.C.E. | Sumerians (from Sumer, a region of Mesopotamia) were the first people to assign symbols to group of objects to represent numbers. They developed the earliest known writing system, a pictographic writing system known as cuneiform script. | | 3000 B.C.E. | The Egyptians were the first people to develop a numerical system that was based on the number 10. Hieroglyphic Numerals developed in Egypt. | | 2400 B.C.E. | Babylonians in Mesopotamia used the Sexagesimal System (base 60). |