Kanakkathikaram S. Vevoka
Pandian Journal of Mathematical Sciences,
07/2023, Letnik:
2, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
“Ennum Eluththum kanEnath thakum” and “Enneluththikalel” Avvaiyar emphasises the importance of "Numbers" and "Writing" to humans in this prologue ("Moothurai"). Scholars have remarked that writing is ...the best of many arts in the world and that learning other arts is difficult without knowing "numbers," which is what keeps people's lives running smoothly. (Kanak, pg-1). Only a few Tamil mathematical works were written by Tamil poets between the 18th and 20th centuries. Among those math books "KanithaDeepikai, Balakanitham, Ensuvadi, Asthana Kolakalam, Ensuvadi, EnVilakkam (Numerology)" and others. According to Tamil historians, before this, there were seven books titled "Erambam, Kilaralapam, Adisharam, Kalambagam, ThiribhuvanathThilakam, Kanikarathinam, and Siruganakku" that were burnt. (Kanak, pg-2) One party also claims that after the 18th century, particularly in the last century, Tamil experts showed little interest in developing scientific Tamil. "Kanakkathikaram" specifies six categories of accounts. Historians believe the "Kanakkathikaram" belongs to the 15th century. Quantities and mathematical riddles employed in a book from 500 to 600 years ago are still utilized even today. For example, the word saree (Pudavai) is a measurement, but now we consider saree (Pudavai) as an object. A saree (Pudavai) is 18 cubits ("Muzham") in length. Did the saree (Pudavai) receive its name because of its size? Alternatively, it is debatable if the size of the saree (Pudavai) was included in the math because of the length of the saree. Likewise the fabric is known as "Vetti" in a similar way. There is a custom in our villages of "putting crore of cloth (Kodithunipoduthal)" on funeral rituals; I assumed a "crore of cloth" meant one crore of cloth, but a "crore of cloth (kodithuni)" is also a measurement of cloth. One "crore of cloth" equals 20 "vetti" or 640 "saree (Pudavai)". Similarly, my mother still measures grains and beans using "padi and koththu" even now. This article is a research consisting of the investigation into these metrics as well as the mathematical puzzles listed in the "Kanakkathikaram."
The Digital Euclid project aims to publish an open, digital edition of every extant witness to the text and diagrams of Euclid’s Elements. This paper discusses the required groundwork and is divided ...in two parts. It first covers a survey of the surviving manuscript and print sources for the Elements that intends to identify the extent of these materials, how many of these works have already been digitally imaged, and what challenges they pose to current data extraction methods. The latter part of the paper discusses the methods used to produce machine-actionable texts and diagrams and focuses especially on the development of tools for the identification and extraction of diagrammatic data.
Ranges widely across Greek and Latin poetry to demonstrate the various roles played by number and how the treatment of counting and arithmetic was bound up with wider conceptions of the nature of ...poetry. Aimed at both classicists and those interested in the cultural history of mathematics.
In the present paper I look at Edmond Halley’s reconstruction of Book VIII of Apollonius’s
Conic
as an example of a second-order historical text. Such texts constitute a particular class of original ...works whose distinction is that they present mathematicians of the past engaging with texts from their own past, as we do when
we
look at historical material in classrooms. Hence, texts of this kind provide us with an opportunity not so much for gaining a historical understanding of a concept, method, or theorem but for viewing another
reader
of mathematical texts, and, therefore, they provide teachers and students with an opportunity to reflect on themselves as readers. This, in effect, is a matter of reflecting on one’s relationship to the past. In the case of Halley, I characterize his particular relationship as ‘a moderator’ between past and present. But I also stress that his is not the only possible relationship to the mathematical past. The case of Halley, however, serves to bring out some of the alternatives. Bearing in mind this variety of relationships to the past will help teachers give shape to their own reflections and, more importantly, help guide their students’ reflections as readers of historical texts.
The development of script-using ancient civilizations and their achievements in sciences such as astronomy and mathematics have been well researched. Illiterate cultures were able to attain an ...adequate level of knowledge and transferred this knowledge to succeeding generations via oral tradition and mnemonic artefacts. The constructions of the square ditched enclosures (
Viereckschanzen
) of the last phase of the La Tène period (LT D, 150-1 BC) are documentations of the mathematical knowledge of this culture and served as a kind of mnemonic artefact. The constructions comprise the application of Pythagorean theorem (in terms of Pythagorean triangles) and square-root approximation triangles. Via these types of triangles, convex quadrangles are constructed (i.e., trapezium, parallelogram, rectangle, kite, lozenge, and square). The constructions were laid out in the terrain on the basis of a consistent ‘Babylonian/Egyptian’ metrology.
An easy-to-read presentation of the early history of mathematics Engaging and accessible, An Introduction to the Early Development of Mathematics provides a captivating introduction to the history of ...ancient mathematics in early civilizations for a nontechnical audience. Written with practical applications in a variety of areas, the book utilizes the historical context of mathematics as a pedagogical tool to assist readers working through mathematical and historical topics. The book is divided into sections on significant early civilizations including Egypt, Babylonia, China, Greece, India, and the Islamic world. Beginning each chapter with a general historical overview of the civilized area, the author highlights the civilization's mathematical techniques, number representations, accomplishments, challenges, and contributions to the mathematical world. Thoroughly class-tested, An Introduction to the Early Development of Mathematics features: * Challenging exercises that lead readers to a deeper understanding of mathematics * Numerous relevant examples and problem sets with detailed explanations of the processes and solutions at the end of each chapter * Additional references on specific topics and keywords from history, archeology, religion, culture, and mathematics * Examples of practical applications with step-by-step explanations of the mathematical concepts and equations through the lens of early mathematical problems * A companion website that includes additional exercises An Introduction to the Early Development of Mathematics is an ideal textbook for undergraduate courses on the history of mathematics and a supplement for elementary and secondary education majors. The book is also an appropriate reference for professional and trade audiences interested in the history of mathematics. Michael K. J. Goodman is Adjunct Mathematics Instructor at Westchester Community College, where he teaches courses in the history of mathematics, contemporary mathematics, and algebra. He is also the owner and operator of The Learning Miracle, LLC, which provides academic tutoring and test preparation for both college and high school students.
This article subjects the final part of the treatise Expositio et ratio omnium formarum (Systematic presentation of all figures), included in the Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum and commonly ascribed ...to Balbus, to fresh philological scrutiny (Balbus gromaticus pp. 107.10–108.8 ed. Lachmann). The passage deals with methods of constructing right angles for the purpose of drawing rectangular and rectilinear figures. On the basis of a reconsideration of the preserved textual witnesses and previous scholarship, the passage is critically and interpretatively studied in the form of a running commentary.
Mesopotamian mathematics is known from a great number of cuneiform texts, most of them Old Babylonian, some Late Babylonian or pre-Old-Babylonian, and has been intensively studied during the last ...couple of decades. In contrast to this Egyptian mathematics is known from only a small number of papyrus texts, and the few books and papers that have been written about Egyptian mathematical papyri have mostly reiterated the same old presentations and interpretations of the texts. In this book, it is shown that the methods developed by the author for the close study of mathematical cuneiform texts can also be successfully applied to all kinds of Egyptian mathematical texts, hieratic, demotic, or Greek-Egyptian. At the same time, comparisons of a large number of individual Egyptian mathematical exercises with Babylonian parallels yield many new insights into the nature of Egyptian mathematics and show that Egyptian and Babylonian mathematics display greater similarities than expected.