HISTORY OF NUMBERS

historY OF NUMBERS

start

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

With just these ten symbols, we can write any number imaginable.

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But why these 10 symbols?

Why do we arrange them the way we do?

Did ancient people use these symbols as well?

THE EGYPTIAN NUMBER SYSTEM

Scribes in ancient Egypt used signs called hieroglyphics to represent numbers. These signs were pictures of everyday things. The Egyptians had one hieroglyph for 1, one for 10, one for 100 and so on. They did NOT have a sign for zero.

HIEROGLYPHICS

The Egyptian number system was based on the number 10, possibly because of the total of 10 fingers and thumbs on both hands. Ten of one hieroglyph could be replaced by one of another hieroglyph. To make the number 20, for example, two hieroglyphs for 10 were used. The order in which the hieroglyphs were written down did not affect the number so the system had no place value.

LET'S WATCH!

Try this! What number do these hieroglyphs show?

25

2005

25 000

As an Egyptian living in ancient times, how was it like to write numbers?

Let's give it a try, shall we?

Do handout 11.2 - History of number.

LEave breakout room and return to your teacher!

ONCE YOU ARE DONE, LET'S leave the egyptians!

Wrong!

try again!

CONGRATULATIONS!

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