Etymology of Words Mathematica

1. Etymology of Words Mathematica Professor Lusk MGF 1107/Fall 2000 Submitted By: Lyndale Kob

2. Introduction Have you ever wondered where some of the mathematical terms that we use today originated? In this presentation, we will uncover the beginnings of some common mathematical terms that we use today. This study of word origins and word history is called ETYMOLOGY. Let’s have some fun!

3. “Weighty Words” Carat and Karat The words “carat” and “karat” are related and both come from the Arabic word for “bean pod”. In this case, the carob bean. What do beans have to do with measuring precious metals and gems? When jewels first began to be used as a means of exchange and payment, people needed a way to measure their relative weight and consequent value. These early traders discovered that the smallest jewels weighed about the same as one bean, so larger gems could be described as “two beans” (two carats) and so on.. A “carat” today is standardized at 200 milligrams. So what about “karat”?

4. Karat The measure of the purity of gold is referred to as “karat”. Like the “carat”, this measure is also based on the weight of beans. In this case, however, it has come to equal a unit of one-twenty-fourth pure gold. Therefore, an 18-carat gold ring is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metal, making a total of twenty-four parts or twice your monthly salary in easy monthly payments. Isn’t this math fun?

5. Liquid Measurements The word “ounce” originated from the Italian word “onza”, (abbreviation “oz”) which means, of course, “ounce”. An ounce is equal to 2 tablespoons of liquid. The word “pint” began as “pynte” in the mid 14th century. It translates into “a vessel containing a pint of liquid”. A pint is equal to 16 fluid ounces or 2 cups. The quart is not surprising in origin. It is related to quarter, or “one fourth”. It was borrowed from the French “quarte”, a fourth part, and came from the Latin word, “quartus”, or fourth. A quart is equal to 4 cups, 2 pints, or 32 fluid ounces. (there’s more!)

6. More Liquid Measurements Gallon was “galun” in the early 13th century. It was borrowed from Old North French “galon”, which corresponds to Old French “jalon”, meaning liquid measure. These come from, of course, medieval Latin “galleta” meaning “bucket”, and “galla” for “vessel”. A bit of trivia for you: The ten gallon hat does not have the capacity of ten gallons! The gallon in ten gallon hat comes from Spanish “sombrero galon”, meaning braided hat!

7. Old British Beer Measurements Now that we have passed the one gallon mark, you can “refresh” yourself with some old British beer measurements. 1 firkin = 9 (beer) gallons 1 kilderkin = 18 gallons 2 kilderkin = 1 barrel or 36 gallons 1 1/2½ barrels = 1 hogshead or 54 gallons 1 1/3 hogshead = 1 puncheon or 72 gallons 1 ½ puncheons or 2 hogsheads = 1 butt or pipe or 108 gallons 2 butt or pipes = 1 tun or 216 gallons That is a lot of beer! Let’s move on to length measurements.

8. Measurements of Length In medieval England, King Edward I took a giant step forward in the world of measurements. He ordered a permanent measuring stick made of iron to serve as a master yardstick for the entire kingdom. This master yardstick was called the “iron ulna”, after the bone of the forearm, and it was standardized as the length of a yard, very close to the length of our present day yard. King Edward realized that constancy and permanence were the key to any standard. He also decreed that the foot measure should be one-third the length of the yard (the size of his foot), and the inch to equal one thirty-sixth. (there’s more!)

9. Measurements of Length II The word “inch” comes from the Latin word “uncia” or “twelfth part”, whose source is “unus” or “one”. The word “foot” was chosen, as mentioned previously, to apply to the length of a man’s foot. The word “yard” has several possible beginnings The first relating to the “yardarms” of sailing ships. Another nautical theory holds that the “yard” in question is a “yard of ale” – a long, thin drinking glass. (There’s more?)

10. The Whole Nine Yards Now that we have covered the “whole nine yards”, you might be wondering where that particular phrase came from. Amazingly, there are several answers to this question. One proposal is that when a large ship had all her sails set, she would be running “the whole nine yards”. Another proposal concerns a “yard”, a tall glass of ale. It seems that newly promoted sailors in the British Navy were required by tradition to make the rounds of a certain nine pubs near the London docks, drinking a “yard of ale at each .

11. The Whole Nine Yards II Another theory has it that fighter planes in World War II carried nine yards of ammunition belts in their machine guns. Therefore, a flier who had seen heavy action on a mission was said to have used “the whole nine yards”. Or, in the case of our ground troops, the whole nine yards referred to the ammunition carried to supply the 50 caliber machine gun. A small case carried three yards of ammunition, but a full case carried “nine yards”. Obviously, a full case was three times as heavy which made these soldiers ask the inevitable question, “Do we have to carry the “whole nine yards”? Please continue…..

12. The Whole Nine Yards III The phrase “whole nine yards” could also have come from the fact that rotating cement mixer trucks had a capacity of nine “cubic” yards. When the mixer had completed it’s job, it had discharged “the whole nine yards”. Can you believe there’s MORE? Check out the next slide!

13. The Whole Nine Yards IV The last theory we will discuss is concerning prisons. It is said that this phrase originated due to the fact that the construction of prisons at one time included an outside wall and then, nine yards outside of that, a fence. If a prisoner attempting to escape made it over the wall, across those nine yards, and over the fence, he was said to have gone “the whole nine yards”. Isn’t that interesting? Please continue on…..

14. Bonus Words We all know that a “paradigm” is a pattern or model. But did you know that it also evolves from a Latin word? (Are you beginning to see a pattern with mathematics and Latin?) Paradigm comes from “paradigma”, meaning pattern or example. It first entered the English language in 1483. Why are pounds, when used as a weight abbreviated as lbs? The origin is in the Latin word “libra”, which could mean both balance scales and also a pound weight for which the full expression was “libra pondo”, the second word being the origin of our “pound”.

15. More Bonus Words The word “compass” means “to go around or encircle”. A “hypotenuse” is the side opposite the right angle in a triangle. It is Greek in origin with “hypo” meaning “under” and “teinen” meaning “to stretch”. You might say it is “under tension”. “Isomorphic” is also a Greek word with “iso” meaning “the same”, and “morphe” meaning “shape or form”. Isomorphic is defined as “having equality of measure”.

16. I hope you have enjoyed this presentation on the etymology of mathematical terms. If you are interested in exploring the origins of other mathematical terms, you may seek them out using any of the below listed bibliographical sites. http://info.astrain.net/jargon/terms/m.html http://history.math.csusb.edu http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math www.takeourword.com www.quinion.com www.wordwithyou.com Book Mathematica by Professor Lusk, GCCC, 2000