Babylonian-style base 60 multiplication table for the number forty-five

3   15

4   11,15

5   9

6   7,30

8   5,36,90

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflect on the reading: Medieval Islam Mathematics

Reflecting on the reading, it’s fascinating to see the significant role that the House of Wisdom in Baghdad played during the Islamic Golden Age. It was more than just a library; it was a vibrant center of translation and research where scholars translated Greek and Hindu treatises into Arabic and conducted their own research. This institution was instrumental in preserving and expanding knowledge during this period. The contributions of Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, a renowned Muslim mathematician, are particularly noteworthy. Al-Khwārizmī popularized the use of Hindu-Arabic numbers and the number zero, introduced the concept of algebra, and demonstrated the use of geometry to prove algebraic results. His treatise on Hindu-Arabic numerals played a pivotal role in popularizing these numbers and the concept of zero, which revolutionized mathematical computations. Lastly, the practical application of algebra, as demonstrated in Al-Khwārizmī’s treatise, Kitab al jabr wa’l-muqabalah, is ...
Read more

Final blog post

Image
The Tower of Hanoi project has been a rewarding exploration of the intersection between mathematics, culture, and creativity. It has inspired me to incorporate more engaging and culturally relevant elements into my teaching, while also emphasizing the importance of thoughtful assignment design to ensure optimal learning outcomes for students. One of the key takeaways from this project was the intricate balance between mathematical principles and the creativity embedded in the puzzle. The Tower of Hanoi beautifully combines logic, problem-solving, and a touch of mystique. The rules governing the movement of disks, the recursive nature of the solution, and the underlying mathematical concepts contribute to a rich learning experience. What surprised me the most was the diverse set of stories associated with the puzzle, each contributing its own lore. The narrative about monks working with gigantic golden disks in an ancient temple tower, and the impending end of the world upon completion ...
Read more

First Reading Response: Why teach math history

Studying the historical development of mathematical concepts helps students understand why certain mathematical ideas were created and how they have evolved throughout time. Moreover, stories of mathematicians making groundbreaking discoveries can inspire students and show them that anyone can contribute to the field. For example, when teaching arithmetic series, I will tell the story of Gauss’s teacher told him to go away and add up the numbers from 1 to 100. When I read “History may be liable to breed cultural chauvinism and parochial nationalism”, I stopped. I agree that there's a possibility of emphasizing the achievements and contributions of one's own culture while downplaying or overlooking the contributions of other cultures when history is presented in mathematics education. When I read “History as a bridge between mathematics and other subjects” l stopped again. I remembered that when teaching calculus, I introduced the historical context of how Newton and Leibniz ind...
Read more