Mayan Mathematics
Mayan Mathematics
In our modern world, one can argue that mathematics is a universal language. Numbers have been recorded in various forms throughout time. For example, the Babylonians used marks pressed in clay; the Egyptians used papyrus ink brushes to create tally marks; and the Maya introduced a symbol for zero. All these ancient peoples used numerals or written symbols to express what they meant mathematically. They developed their own numeration system, which is a collection of uniform symbols and properties to express numbers systematically. The Hindu-Arabic system is one such numeration method; however, understanding others can reveal that our current system finds its roots in what has come before. Throughout our society, students …show more content…
The Mayan culture flourished from approximately 300 B.C to 900 A.D in the Yucatan Peninsula, isolated from any overseas contacts. Mayan communities were supported by productive economies, based upon agriculture but heavily involved in handicrafts and long distance trade. Through developing new creative mechanics such as clearing, irrigating, and terracing, the Mayas were able to take advantage of the rich Yucatan soil where they cultivated squash, chile pepper, and many other crops, including maize, which supplied 80 percent of their food. Although the Mayas possessed great agriculture and craftsmanship skills, their biggest feat came when they developed the most elaborate and sophisticated numerical system in the history of the Americas. Unlike our current system, the Mayan developed a vigesimal number system of base 20 instead of base 10. Twenty was a sacred number because it totaled to be the number of fingers and toes on a human. Mayan numerals are composed of only three symbols, but with the power of place value and their invention of zero, large numbers can be briefly written. Furthermore, the Mayan numerical symbols are a dot for 1, a bar for 5, and a shell for 0.With their interest in astronomy and the passage of time, the Maya also constructed accurate
In our modern world, one can argue that mathematics is a universal language. Numbers have been recorded in various forms throughout time. For example, the Babylonians used marks pressed in clay; the Egyptians used papyrus ink brushes to create tally marks; and the Maya introduced a symbol for zero. All these ancient peoples used numerals or written symbols to express what they meant mathematically. They developed their own numeration system, which is a collection of uniform symbols and properties to express numbers systematically. The Hindu-Arabic system is one such numeration method; however, understanding others can reveal that our current system finds its roots in what has come before. Throughout our society, students …show more content…
The Mayan culture flourished from approximately 300 B.C to 900 A.D in the Yucatan Peninsula, isolated from any overseas contacts. Mayan communities were supported by productive economies, based upon agriculture but heavily involved in handicrafts and long distance trade. Through developing new creative mechanics such as clearing, irrigating, and terracing, the Mayas were able to take advantage of the rich Yucatan soil where they cultivated squash, chile pepper, and many other crops, including maize, which supplied 80 percent of their food. Although the Mayas possessed great agriculture and craftsmanship skills, their biggest feat came when they developed the most elaborate and sophisticated numerical system in the history of the Americas. Unlike our current system, the Mayan developed a vigesimal number system of base 20 instead of base 10. Twenty was a sacred number because it totaled to be the number of fingers and toes on a human. Mayan numerals are composed of only three symbols, but with the power of place value and their invention of zero, large numbers can be briefly written. Furthermore, the Mayan numerical symbols are a dot for 1, a bar for 5, and a shell for 0.With their interest in astronomy and the passage of time, the Maya also constructed accurate