lem 4, n7; in problem 5, n8; and in problem 6, n9. In addition, 81 out of the
87 problems involve operating with fractions, while other problems involve quantities
and even geometry. Rhind purchased the papyrus in 1858 in Luxor; it resides in the
British Museum in London.
Written around the 12th Egyptian dynasty, and named after the Russian city, the
mathematical information on the Moscow papyrusis not ascribed to any one Egypt-
ian, as no name is recorded on the document. The papyrus contains 25 problems simi-
lar to those in the Rhind papyrus, and many that show the Egyptians had a good grasp
of geometry, including a formula for a truncated pyramid. It resides in the Museum of
Fine Arts in Moscow.
GREEK AND ROMAN MATHEMATICS
Why was mathematicsso importantto the Greeks?
With a numbering system in place and knowledge from the Babylonians, the Greeks
became masters of mathematics, with the most progress taking place between the
years of 300 BCEand 200 CE, although the Greek culture had been in existence long
before that time. The Greeks changed the nature and approach to math, and they con-
sidered it one of the—if not the most—important subjects in science. The main rea-
son for their proclivity towards mathematics is easy to understand: The Greeks pre-
ferred reasoning over any other activity. Mathematics is based on reasoning, unlike
many scientific endeavors that require experimentation and observation. 15
HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS
The number 3,577 is represented above using hiero-
glyphs (top) and hieratic symbols (bottom). Notice
these numbers are read from right to left.
The symbols for 1/5, 1/10, and 1/2 are represented
above using hieroglyphs.