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Origins of Mathematics. By Rachel Cortez 8/30/2011. Common Links to Numbers:. Numbers assign value; Basis for communication; Basis for trade;. How did counting emerge?. Need based; Cardinal need “How much do I have?”; Ordinal need – “Dominance hierarch”
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Origins of Mathematics By Rachel Cortez 8/30/2011
Common Links to Numbers: • Numbers assign value; • Basis for communication; • Basis for trade;
How did counting emerge? • Need based; • Cardinal need “How much do I have?”; • Ordinal need – “Dominance hierarch” “Who goes first?”;
Need for a record-keeping system Created by tribes who • Had fertile lands; • Flourished along major rivers; • Strong centralized government • Strong religious life;
Tally System Tribes kept a system that fit their needs • Babylonians used clay tablets; • Paraguayan Tribe (18th Century) used a geometric approach; • The Dammara’s (19th century) traded sticks of tabacco for cattle; • The Inca’s used multi-colored cords or beads still used today by Bolivian Herdsmen;
Numbers and Religion • Hindu’s worship of stars; • Pueblo Indians prepared 8 days for the Snake Dance; • Apache Indians prayed once every 4 days; • Potawatomi Tribe used the number 4 as a marker to light the chief’s pipe to determine guilt or innocence
Native Americans & Mathematics • Artifacts indicate their way of life but the method of constructed temples; • Geometric shapes fill art work; • Patterns are unique to the region; • “Mounds” were created for burial, ceremonial or residential purposes
ETOWAH INDIAN MOUND Bartow County, Georgia
The Great Serpent Mound Map Southwest Ohio, about 1,330 feet long and 3 feet high
The Great Serpent Mound Adams County, Ohio, a few hours from Dayton