The History of Mathematical Proof in Ancient Traditions

Mathematical justifi cation: the Babylonian example 383 experimentation (if not to be linked to recognizable theory). Such ideol ...

384 12 Interpretation of reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts Christine Proust , translation Micah Ross Is it possib ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 385 verbal style (in Sumerian or in Akkadian language) and then numeric tablets ...

386 Christine proust in Akkadian. Sachs has shown that these instructions refer to calculations found in the numeric tablet CBS ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 387 in Nippur, Ur and elsewhere. 9 Th e school texts yield precious information ...

388 Christine proust responses to the questions concerning its function. Is Tablet A only a collec- tion of exercises, from whic ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 389 restored the orders of magnitude, in keeping with the indeterminacy of the ...

390 Christine proust Let us return to the topic of the determination of reciprocals, which is the subject of Tablet A. A small l ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 391 no name in Sumerian, contrary to the determination of a reciprocal ( igi , ...

392 Christine proust According to Sachs, whose notations I have reproduced, 23 the algorithm is based on the decomposition of th ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 393 parallels) as well as in verbal version (Tablet B) (see Tables 12.6 , 12.7 ...

394 Christine proust the product of 2.13.20 by 18 is 40; 40 is therefore a second factor and it is regular; 40 is set out on th ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 395 seems to be outside the domain of text A. I will return later to this exter ...

396 Christine proust Even though the texts of the Tablets A and B refer to the same algorithm, some features distinguish them. I ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 397 5.3.24.26.40. Th e fi rst factor chosen is 6.40, the last part of the numbe ...

398 Christine proust 11.51.54.50.37.30 is decomposed into the product of elementary regular factors. Th e reciprocals of these f ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 399 by 30). 29 In verifying the result of Section 20, it was therefore suffi ci ...

400 Christine proust this text is useless. Th us, what is the function of the repetition of the same algorithm forty-two times ( ...

Reverse algorithms in several Mesopotamian texts 401 sequences ( Table 12.5 ). Th e factorizations that present irregularities ( ...

402 Christine proust 32 Th is property is the result of a more general rule: for a given base, the divisibility of an integer by ...