Math plus 2016-01-2015: 59 visits: 1 17 Share to:

Confucius once said, "If you learn mathematics and physics well, you will not be afraid to travel all over the world." . Mathematics has always been a battleground for military strategists in the college entrance examination, but some students who are partial to it have a big headache. They can't wait to go back to ancient times, even in the face of complex and strict stereotyped writing. Why didn't the ancient imperial examination test mathematics? Listen to Math and Bian Xiao today to reveal the secret to you!

Why didn't the ancient imperial examination test mathematics?

In the popular Korean drama the day before yesterday, some girls returned to ancient times in order to escape the mathematics of the college entrance examination; And her mathematical ability was considered a genius at that time. But then again, crossing is just an illusion. However, when it comes to the ancient imperial examination system, we have to be suspicious-China's mathematical culture has a long history, and China's imperial examination system has also lasted for a long time. Why didn't mathematics shine in the ancient imperial examinations?

Let's talk about the ancient mathematics education and talent recommendation system. In Xia and Shang Dynasties, because the mathematics used at that time was still in the stage of counting and bookkeeping, at the same time, the selection method of "three houses and three handsome men" was adopted (mainly auditing government affairs, civil affairs and law enforcement). Therefore, in this era, whether it is mathematics or articles, academic qualifications are not the main selection criteria.

Mathematics became one of the "six arts" and officially entered the education stage in the Zhou Dynasty, which made its fortune with the Sixty-four Guas of Zhouyi. Although at that time, a hundred schools of thought contended and won the king's favor with their eloquence, his mathematical skills were not classified as exotic skills. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, a family specializing in astronomical calendars has appeared, which is called "Feng" and "Bao". Excellent algorithms are passed down from generation to generation, and it is possible to be an official when you meet the son of heaven who knows the goods. One of the historical materials available for textual research is Yin Shao of the Northern Wei Dynasty, who was a doctor of mathematics in the Wen Chengdi period of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

The imperial examination system was really established in the Sui Dynasty. At this time, although mathematics was not included in the special imperial examination project, imperial academy also offered arithmetic.

In the Tang dynasty, the spring of the emperor of mathematics finally came! In 656, imperial academy opened the Mathematics Institute-"Arithmetic Hall", which enrolled 30 students, and set up doctors and teaching assistants to take charge of daily teaching. In this way, there are six schools in imperial academy, namely, Guo Zi, imperial academy, Four Schools, Law, Calligraphy and Mathematics. The government also asked Li to compile ten arithmetic classics, namely, Peripheral Arithmetic Classics, Nine Chapters Arithmetic Classics and Island Arithmetic Classics, which are collectively called ten arithmetic classics as official teaching materials. Let mathematics enter the imperial examination, and you can be an official when you pass the exam. It can be said that it opened the world trend at that time.

But at this time, the position of mathematics in the imperial examination subjects is still very low, not only the enrollment is small, but also the doctoral students in imperial academy are only the lowest-level officials. Therefore, fewer and fewer students apply for arithmetic and numeracy, and this subject has been established and abolished, abolished and established. In the late Tang Dynasty, it basically disappeared. Finally, although the subject of Ming suan was not taken seriously, as the only dynasty that included arithmetic in the imperial examination, the Tang Dynasty was still one of the dynasties that paid the most attention to mathematics in ancient China.

There is no clear calculation of the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty, but the attention paid to mathematical talents in the Song Dynasty exceeded that in the Tang Dynasty to some extent. Compared with other times, there is a significant difference in the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty paid more attention to industry and commerce, so the economy was unprecedentedly prosperous. In the Song Dynasty, many senior officials of ministries and commissions, even officials of the current dynasty, were businessmen. There were many important inventions in the Song Dynasty, such as automatic timing mechanical instruments for astronomical observation, meteorological observatory for water transport, compass that can measure magnetic declination and identify direction, movable type printed books, watertight compartments, the world's earliest paper money ferry and so on. In this context, society naturally needs scientific and technological talents, so a considerable number of officials in the Song Dynasty were great scientists, even including the great scientist Song (who was also an official with Shen Kuo). In Song Huizong, mathematics was re-established for many years to meet the internal needs, and it was strengthened in the first year of Jingkang. At that time, both civilians and arithmetically on-the-job officials could choose their studies. The method of choosing scholars was similar to that of imperial academy (generally speaking, giving human feelings without trying and giving them directly to officials). The third class was giving human feelings, followed by being an official, an official and a general. With this ethos, a large number of mathematicians emerged in the Song Dynasty, and a large number of mathematical works were completed, such as Qin's Nine Chapters, Yuan Hai Jing and an Ancient Yan Duan, and Yang Hui's Nine Chapters Algorithm Detailed Explanation, which achieved more than four breakthroughs in the field of mathematics such as solving higher-order equations.

There was only one Jinshi in the imperial examination in Yuan Dynasty. However, when the Yuan Dynasty inherited the Song Dynasty, mathematics was still relatively prosperous, and mathematics talents were also paid more attention. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination only set up Jinshi subjects, not to mention arithmetic, and even poetry was sometimes regarded as doing nothing but getting stereotyped writing. The imperial examination system in Qing Dynasty is the inheritance of the imperial examination system in Ming Dynasty. Although Emperor Kangxi Qianlong and other emperors were very interested in mathematics and opened learning halls for the children of nobles, mathematics in China had gradually declined at that time.

In short, due to the influence of Confucianism, the bureaucratic system with imperial examination as one of the main selection methods has low requirements for mathematical ability. With the continuation of this dictatorship, mathematics has never been able to show its prominent position in the imperial examination, so it is difficult for mathematicians in China to win the support of the government through their mathematical achievements.

Although it may sound better to the students majoring in partial subjects in ancient times, the inequality in imperial examinations at that time was much more serious than that in the college entrance examination today, not to mention that there were no mobile phones and computers and no Wi-Fi in ancient times. So, come to math, study math hard and change your destiny through knowledge!