A Math Journey Through the Ages Explore the Creativity Behind the Evolution of Our Numbering System
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Numbers - the Essence
Numbers - the essence A computer consists in essence of a sequence of electrical on/off switches. Big question: How do switches become a computer? ITEC 1000 Introduction to Information Technologies 1 Friday, September 25, 2009 • A single switch is called a bit • A sequence of 8 bits is called a byte • Two or more bytes are often grouped to form word • Modern laptop/desktop standardly will have memory of 1 gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes ITEC 1000 Introduction to Information Technologies 2 Friday, September 25, 2009 Question: How do encode information with switches ? Answer: With numbers - binary numbers using only 0’s and 1’s where for each switch on position = 1 off position = 0 ITEC 1000 Introduction to Information Technologies 3 Friday, September 25, 2009 • For a byte consisting of 8 bits there are a total of 28 = 256 ways to place 0’s and 1’s. Example 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 • For each grouping of 4 bits there are 24 = 16 ways to place 0’s and 1’s. • For a byte the first and second groupings of four bits can be represented by two hexadecimal digits • this will be made clear in following slides. ITEC 1000 Introduction to Information Technologies 4 Friday, September 25, 2009 Bits & Bytes imply creation of data and computer analysis of data • storing data (reading) • processing data - arithmetic operations, evaluations & comparisons • output of results ITEC 1000 Introduction to Information Technologies 5 Friday, September 25, 2009 Numeral systems A numeral system is any method of symbolically representing the counting numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . -
On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet
- ON THE <)|{I<; IN <>F TIIK INDIAN BRAHMA ALPHABET GEORG BtfHLKi; SECOND REVISED EDITION OF INDIAN STUDIES, NO III. TOGETHER WITH TWO APPENDICES ON THE OKU; IN OF THE KHAROSTHI ALPHABET AND OF THK SO-CALLED LETTER-NUMERALS OF THE BRAHMI. WITH TIIKKK PLATES. STRASSBUKi-. K A K 1. I. 1 1M I: \ I I; 1898. I'lintccl liy Adolf Ilcil/.haiisi'ii, Vicniiii. Preface to the Second Edition. .As the few separate copies of the Indian Studies No. Ill, struck off in 1895, were sold very soon and rather numerous requests for additional ones were addressed both to me and to the bookseller of the Imperial Academy, Messrs. Carl Gerold's Sohn, I asked the Academy for permission to issue a second edition, which Mr. Karl J. Trlibner had consented to publish. My petition was readily granted. In addition Messrs, von Holder, the publishers of the Wiener Zeitschrift fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes, kindly allowed me to reprint my article on the origin of the Kharosthi, which had appeared in vol. IX of that Journal and is now given in Appendix I. To these two sections I have added, in Appendix II, a brief review of the arguments for Dr. Burnell's hypothesis, which derives the so-called letter- numerals or numerical symbols of the Brahma alphabet from the ancient Egyptian numeral signs, together with a third com- parative table, in order to include in this volume all those points, which require fuller discussion, and in order to make it a serviceable companion to the palaeography of the Grund- riss. -
Positional Notation Or Trigonometry [2, 13]
The Greatest Mathematical Discovery? David H. Bailey∗ Jonathan M. Borweiny April 24, 2011 1 Introduction Question: What mathematical discovery more than 1500 years ago: • Is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, single discovery in the field of mathematics? • Involved three subtle ideas that eluded the greatest minds of antiquity, even geniuses such as Archimedes? • Was fiercely resisted in Europe for hundreds of years after its discovery? • Even today, in historical treatments of mathematics, is often dismissed with scant mention, or else is ascribed to the wrong source? Answer: Our modern system of positional decimal notation with zero, to- gether with the basic arithmetic computational schemes, which were discov- ered in India prior to 500 CE. ∗Bailey: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Email: [email protected]. This work was supported by the Director, Office of Computational and Technology Research, Division of Mathematical, Information, and Computational Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy, under contract number DE-AC02-05CH11231. yCentre for Computer Assisted Research Mathematics and its Applications (CARMA), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Email: [email protected]. 1 2 Why? As the 19th century mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace explained: It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of position as well as an absolute value; a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit. But its very sim- plicity and the great ease which it has lent to all computations put our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions; and we shall appre- ciate the grandeur of this achievement the more when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Apollonius, two of the greatest men produced by antiquity. -
The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes
Portland State University PDXScholar Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics Publications and Presentations and Statistics 3-2018 The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes Xu Hu Sun University of Macau Christine Chambris Université de Cergy-Pontoise Judy Sayers Stockholm University Man Keung Siu University of Hong Kong Jason Cooper Weizmann Institute of Science SeeFollow next this page and for additional additional works authors at: https:/ /pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/mth_fac Part of the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details Sun X.H. et al. (2018) The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes. In: Bartolini Bussi M., Sun X. (eds) Building the Foundation: Whole Numbers in the Primary Grades. New ICMI Study Series. Springer, Cham This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Authors Xu Hu Sun, Christine Chambris, Judy Sayers, Man Keung Siu, Jason Cooper, Jean-Luc Dorier, Sarah Inés González de Lora Sued, Eva Thanheiser, Nadia Azrou, Lynn McGarvey, Catherine Houdement, and Lisser Rye Ejersbo This book chapter is available at PDXScholar: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/mth_fac/253 Chapter 5 The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes Xu Hua Sun , Christine Chambris Judy Sayers, Man Keung Siu, Jason Cooper , Jean-Luc Dorier , Sarah Inés González de Lora Sued , Eva Thanheiser , Nadia Azrou , Lynn McGarvey , Catherine Houdement , and Lisser Rye Ejersbo 5.1 Introduction Mathematics learning and teaching are deeply embedded in history, language and culture (e.g. -
Inventing Your Own Number System
Inventing Your Own Number System Through the ages people have invented many different ways to name, write, and compute with numbers. Our current number system is based on place values corresponding to powers of ten. In principle, place values could correspond to any sequence of numbers. For example, the places could have values corre- sponding to the sequence of square numbers, triangular numbers, multiples of six, Fibonacci numbers, prime numbers, or factorials. The Roman numeral system does not use place values, but the position of numerals does matter when determining the number represented. Tally marks are a simple system, but representing large numbers requires many strokes. In our number system, symbols for digits and the positions they are located combine to represent the value of the number. It is possible to create a system where symbols stand for operations rather than values. For example, the system might always start at a default number and use symbols to stand for operations such as doubling, adding one, taking the reciprocal, dividing by ten, squaring, negating, or any other specific operations. Create your own number system. What symbols will you use for your numbers? How will your system work? Demonstrate how your system could be used to perform some of the following functions. • Count from 0 up to 100 • Compare the sizes of numbers • Add and subtract whole numbers • Multiply and divide whole numbers • Represent fractional values • Represent irrational numbers (such as π) What are some of the advantages of your system compared with other systems? What are some of the disadvantages? If you met aliens that had developed their own number system, how might their mathematics be similar to ours and how might it be different? Make a list of some math facts and procedures that you have learned. -
Positional Notation Consider 101 1015 = ? Binary: Base 2
1/21/2019 CS 362: Computer Design Positional Notation Lecture 3: Number System Review • The meaning of a digit depends on its position in a number. • A number, written as the sequence of digits dndn‐1…d2d1d0 in base b represents the value d * bn + d * bn‐1 + ... + d * b2 + d * b1 + d * b0 Cynthia Taylor n n‐1 2 1 0 University of Illinois at Chicago • For a base b, digits will range from 0 to b‐1 September 5th, 2017 Consider 101 1015 = ? • In base 10, it represents the number 101 (one A. 26 hundred one) = B. 51 • In base 2, 1012 = C. 126 • In base 8, 1018 = D. 130 101‐3=? Binary: Base 2 A. ‐10 • Used by computers B. 8 • A number, written as the sequence of digits dndn‐1…d2d1d0 where d is in {0,1}, represents C. 10 the value n n‐1 2 1 0 dn * 2 + dn‐1 * 2 + ... + d2 * 2 + d1 * 2 + d0 * 2 D. ‐30 1 1/21/2019 Binary to Decimal Decimal to Binary • Use polynomial expansion • Repeatedly divide by 2, recording the remainders. • The remainders form the binary digits of the number. 101102 = • Converting 25 to binary 3410=?2 Hexadecimal: Base 16 A. 010001 • Like binary, but shorter! • Each digit is a “nibble”, or half a byte • Indicated by prefacing number with 0x B. 010010 • A number, written as the sequence of digits dndn‐ C. 100010 1…d2d1d0 where d is in {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F}, represents the value D. -
Number Systems and Number Representation Aarti Gupta
Number Systems and Number Representation Aarti Gupta 1 For Your Amusement Question: Why do computer programmers confuse Christmas and Halloween? Answer: Because 25 Dec = 31 Oct -- http://www.electronicsweekly.com 2 Goals of this Lecture Help you learn (or refresh your memory) about: • The binary, hexadecimal, and octal number systems • Finite representation of unsigned integers • Finite representation of signed integers • Finite representation of rational numbers (if time) Why? • A power programmer must know number systems and data representation to fully understand C’s primitive data types Primitive values and the operations on them 3 Agenda Number Systems Finite representation of unsigned integers Finite representation of signed integers Finite representation of rational numbers (if time) 4 The Decimal Number System Name • “decem” (Latin) => ten Characteristics • Ten symbols • 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 • Positional • 2945 ≠ 2495 • 2945 = (2*103) + (9*102) + (4*101) + (5*100) (Most) people use the decimal number system Why? 5 The Binary Number System Name • “binarius” (Latin) => two Characteristics • Two symbols • 0 1 • Positional • 1010B ≠ 1100B Most (digital) computers use the binary number system Why? Terminology • Bit: a binary digit • Byte: (typically) 8 bits 6 Decimal-Binary Equivalence Decimal Binary Decimal Binary 0 0 16 10000 1 1 17 10001 2 10 18 10010 3 11 19 10011 4 100 20 10100 5 101 21 10101 6 110 22 10110 7 111 23 10111 8 1000 24 11000 9 1001 25 11001 10 1010 26 11010 11 1011 27 11011 12 1100 28 11100 13 1101 29 11101 14 1110 30 11110 15 1111 31 11111 .. -
Numeration Systems Reminder : If a and M Are Whole Numbers Then Exponential Expression Amor a to the Mth Power Is M = ⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅ Defined by A Aaa
MA 118 – Section 3.1: Numeration Systems Reminder : If a and m are whole numbers then exponential expression amor a to the mth power is m = ⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅ defined by a aaa... aa . m times Number a is the base ; m is the exponent or power . Example : 53 = Definition: A number is an abstract idea that indicates “how many”. A numeral is a symbol used to represent a number. A System of Numeration consists of a set of basic numerals and rules for combining them to represent numbers. 1 Section 3.1: Numeration Systems The timeline indicates recorded writing about 10,000 years ago between 4,000–3,000 B.C. The Ishango Bone provides the first evidence of human counting, dated 20,000 years ago. I. Tally Numeration System Example: Write the first 12 counting numbers with tally marks. In a tally system, there is a one-to-one correspondence between marks and items being counted. What are the advantages and drawbacks of a Tally Numeration System? 2 Section 3.1: Numeration Systems (continued) II. Egyptian Numeration System Staff Yoke Scroll Lotus Pointing Fish Amazed (Heel Blossom Finger (Polywog) (Astonished) Bone) Person Example : Page 159 1 b, 2b Example : Write 3248 as an Egyptian numeral. What are the advantages and drawbacks of the Egyptian System? 3 Section 3.1: Numeration Systems (continued) III. Roman Numeral System Roman Numerals I V X L C D M Indo-Arabic 1 5 10 50 100 500 1000 If a symbol for a lesser number is written to the left of a symbol for a greater number, then the lesser number is subtracted. -
Lecture 2: Arithmetic
E-320: Teaching Math with a Historical Perspective Oliver Knill, 2010-2017 Lecture 2: Arithmetic The oldest mathematical discipline is arithmetic. It is the theory of the construction and manip- ulation of numbers. The earliest steps were done by Babylonian, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian and Greek thinkers. Building up the number system starts with the natural numbers 1; 2; 3; 4::: which can be added and multiplied. Addition is natural: join 3 sticks to 5 sticks to get 8 sticks. Multiplication ∗ is more subtle: 3 ∗ 4 means to take 3 copies of 4 and get 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 while 4 ∗ 3 means to take 4 copies of 3 to get 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12. The first factor counts the number of operations while the second factor counts the objects. To motivate 3 ∗ 4 = 4 ∗ 3, spacial insight motivates to arrange the 12 objects in a rectangle. This commutativity axiom will be carried over to larger number systems. Realizing an addition and multiplicative structure on the natural numbers requires to define 0 and 1. It leads naturally to more general numbers. There are two major motivations to to build new numbers: we want to 1. invert operations and still get results. 2. solve equations. To find an additive inverse of 3 means solving x + 3 = 0. The answer is a negative number. To solve x ∗ 3 = 1, we get to a rational number x = 1=3. To solve x2 = 2 one need to escape to real numbers. To solve x2 = −2 requires complex numbers. Numbers Operation to complete Examples of equations to solve Natural numbers addition and multiplication 5 + x = 9 Positive fractions addition and -
Tally Sticks, Counting Boards, and Sumerian Proto-Writing John Alan Halloran
Early Numeration - John Alan Halloran - August 10, 2009 - Page 1 Early Numeration - Tally Sticks, Counting Boards, and Sumerian Proto-Writing John Alan Halloran http://www.sumerian.org/ Work on the published version of my Sumerian Lexicon (Logogram Publishing: 2006) has revealed that: 1) the early Sumerians used wooden tally sticks for counting; 2) tally marks led to proto-writing; 3) the Sumerian pictograms for goats and sheep probably derive from tally stick notch conventions; 4) the Uruk period civilization used counting boards; 5) the authors of the proto-cuneiform tablets drew with animal claws or bird talons; 6) the historical Sumerians used clay split tallies as credit instruments; and 7) the Sumerians may sometimes have counted by placing knots or stones on a string. 1. Counting with Wooden Tally Sticks 1.1. The following text caught my attention. It is from The Debate between Sheep and Grain, ETCSL 5.3.2, lines 130-133: "Every night your count is made and your tally-stick put into the ground, so your herdsman can tell people how many ewes there are and how many young lambs, and how many goats and how many young kids." The Sumerian reads: 130 ud šu2-uš-e niñ2-kas7-zu ba-ni-ak-e ñiš 131 ŠID-ma-zu ki i3-tag-tag-ge - the Unicode version has ñiš-šudum- ma-zu 132 na-gada-zu u8 me-a sila4 tur-tur me-a 133 ud5 me-a maš2 tur-tur me-a lu2 mu-un-na-ab-be2 š is read |sh| and ñ is read |ng|. -
Babylonian Numeration
Babylonian Numeration Dominic Klyve ∗ October 9, 2020 You may know that people have developed several different ways to represent numbers throughout history. The simplest is probably to use tally marks, so that the first few numbers might be represented like this: and so on. You may also have learned a more efficient way to make tally marks at some point, but the method above is almost certainly the first that humans ever used. Some ancient artifacts, including one known as the \Ishango Bone," suggest that people were using symbols like these over 20,000 years ago!1 By 2000 BCE, the Sumerian civilization had developed a considerably more sophisticated method of writing numbers|a method which in many ways is quite unlike what we use today. Their method was adopted by the Babylonians after they conquered the Sumerians, and today the symbols used in this system are usually referred to as Babylonian numerals. Fortunately, we have a very good record of the way the Sumerians (and Babylonians) wrote their numbers. They didn't use paper, but instead used a small wedge-shaped (\cuneiform") tool to put marks into tablets made of mud. If these tablets were baked briefly, they hardened into a rock-like material which could survive with little damage for thousands of years. On the next page you will find a recreation of a real tablet, presented close to its actual size. It was discovered in the Sumerian city of Nippur (in modern-day Iraq), and dates to around 1500 BCE. We're not completely sure what this is, but most scholars suspect that it is a homework exercise, preserved for thousands of years. -
Arabic Numeral
CHAPTER 4 Number Representation and Calculation Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 1 4.4 Looking Back at Early Numeration Systems Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 2 Objectives 1. Understand and use the Egyptian system. 2. Understand and use the Roman system. 3. Understand and use the traditional Chinese system. 4. Understand and use the Ionic Greek system. Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 3 The Egyptian Numeration System The Egyptians used the oldest numeration system called hieroglyphic notation. Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 4 Example: Using the Egyptian Numeration System Write the following numeral as a Hindu-Arabic numeral: Solution: Using the table, find the value of each of the Egyptian numerals. Then add them. 1,000,000 + 10,000 + 10,000 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 1,020,034 Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 5 Example: Using the Egyptian Numeration System Write 1752 as an Egyptian numeral. Solution: First break down the Hindu-Arabic numeral into quantities that match the Egyptian numerals: 1752 = 1000 + 700 + 50 + 2 = 1000 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 1 Now use the table to find the Egyptian symbol that matches each quantity. Thus, 1752 can be expressed as Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Section 4.4, Slide 6 The Roman Numeration System Roman I V X L C D M Numeral Hindu- 1 5 10 50 100 500 1000 Arabic Numeral The Roman numerals were used until the eighteenth century and are still commonly used today for outlining, on clocks, and in numbering some pages in books.