The earliest mathematical records can be traced back to the ancient Babylonian civilization in 3000 BC. The counting system used by the Babylonians is called hexadecimal, and the base number is 60, because 60 can be divisible by 65,438+0, 2,3,4,5,6,65,438+00, 65,438+02,65,438+05 and 30, which is easier to calculate. Babylonians also developed a branch of mathematics called geometry to solve practical problems such as land survey and architectural design.
Ancient Egyptian civilization also had its own mathematical development. Egyptians used a counting system called decimal, which was based on 10. Egyptians widely used mathematics in architecture and land survey, and they also developed a method to solve linear equations. The Egyptians also developed a mathematical manuscript called "Jonesen", which contains the answers to some geometric problems.
Ancient Greece is one of the important cradles of mathematics, and many famous mathematicians and philosophers were born in Greece. The Greek mathematician Pythagoras developed a geometric theorem called Pythagoras Theorem, and he also discovered an important mathematical concept-proportion. Euclid, another Greek mathematician, founded the basic principles of geometry, and his book Elements of Geometry had a great influence on the development of mathematics in later generations.
In ancient India, mathematics also developed independently. Indian mathematicians developed a counting system called Arabic numerals, which used 10 numbers from 0 to 9, and introduced position notation. Indian mathematicians also developed a calculation method called decimal system, which played an important role in the development and application of mathematics.
The role of mathematics
Mathematics has developed into an independent discipline, involving more fields, such as algebra, geometry, probability, statistics and so on. The development of mathematics has also been influenced by new ideas and theories, such as mathematical logic, set theory and number theory. The application of mathematics is also more and more extensive, from physics to economics, from engineering to computer science, mathematics plays an important role in various fields.