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History Maths
Deepak kumar
Figure: 37
3 × 602 + 42 × 60 + 9 = 13329
Figure: 13329
The Old Babylonians did not use a symbol for 0, but often left an
internal space if a given number was missing a particular power.
There would not be a space at the end of a number, making it
difficult to distinguish 3 × 60 + 42(3, 42) from
3 × 602 + 42 × 60(3, 42, 00). Sometimes, however, they would give
an indication of the absolute size of a number by writing an
appropriate word, typically a metrological one, after the numeral.
Thus, “3 42 sixty” would represent 3,42, while “3 42 thirty-six
hundred” would mean 3,42,00.
Addition
Extensive tables for multiplication and reciprocals have been found
so far but no tablet involving addition has yet been
discovered.Perhaps the scribes knew their addition procedure so
well that they didn’t find it worthy to explictly write down tables
for addition. Suppose one has to add 23,37 (= 1417) to 41,32 (=
2492).
1 15
0; 1, 15 = + 2
60 60
2 Reciprocal of 1,21 (= 81) is 0;0,44,26,40 and
44 26 40
0 : 0, 44, 26, 40 = 2
+ 3+ 4
60 60 60
Figure: SquareMathematics
Deepak kumar root of 2and Ancient Mesopotamia
Speculation
Now the question arises that how scribes calculated the square
roots of positive integers.One possible method is based on the
identity
(x + y )2 = x 2 + 2xy + y 2
Suppose we have to find square root of the integer N(or side of the
square whose area is N).
1 b = N − a2
2 Now we have to choose a value of c such that b = 2ac + c 2
3 If a2 is close enough to N then we can approximate c by
c = 21 1a b
√ √
4 Then N = a2 + b ≈ a + 12 1a b
Pythagoras Theorem
In any right triangle the sum of area of squares on the legs is equal
to the area of the square on the diagonal.
x2 + y2 = d2
x2 d2
=⇒ + 1 =
y2 y2
d x
=⇒ v 2 − u 2 = 1 and v = ,u =
y y
=⇒ (v − u)(v + u) = 1
1
=⇒ u = [(u + v ) − (u − v )]
2
p
=⇒ v = 1 + u 2