Pictured here is the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. It is one of the earliest preserved examples of mathematics from the ancient world. It was found in the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II in Luxor Egypt, and it dates back to around 1500 BC, but the original document from which it is copied is likely much older. It contains 87 problems, which are solved using basic algebra and geometry. It contains practical problems such as dividing shares of grain among workers and landlords, calculating the volume of silos and the area of farm plots, and converting between different Egyptian units of measurement. Although today the Papyrus's contents may strike us as mundane, contemporaries viewed them as holding immense power. The scribe copying this page opens by pronouncing that this papyrus gives "Accurate reckoning. The entrance into the knowledge of all existing things and all obscure secrets.”
Mathematics In The Neolithic Revolution
Mathematics In The Neolithic Revolution
Mathematics In The Neolithic Revolution
Pictured here is the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. It is one of the earliest preserved examples of mathematics from the ancient world. It was found in the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II in Luxor Egypt, and it dates back to around 1500 BC, but the original document from which it is copied is likely much older. It contains 87 problems, which are solved using basic algebra and geometry. It contains practical problems such as dividing shares of grain among workers and landlords, calculating the volume of silos and the area of farm plots, and converting between different Egyptian units of measurement. Although today the Papyrus's contents may strike us as mundane, contemporaries viewed them as holding immense power. The scribe copying this page opens by pronouncing that this papyrus gives "Accurate reckoning. The entrance into the knowledge of all existing things and all obscure secrets.”