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Kitty Powell's project on diversity in mathematics

Books, Books, Books!

Four Ancient Texts from Non-Western Civilizations that had a Powerful Impact on Mathematics


Why is this important?

Our curriculum places an extremely strong focus on mathematics from Europe and the West, however this means we lose out on understanding how many mathematical ideas came to be. Through studying the maths of a wider range of cultures, we can become more well rounded as students and gain a better insight into maths today.

The four books we will explore are:

  • The Rhind Papyrus, c.1550 BCE
  • The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art (Jiuzhang Suanshu - 九章箅术), c.200 BCE
  • The compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing (Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala - كتاب الجبر و المقابلة), c.820 CE
  • The Kai kendai no ho - 解見題之法, 1683 CE

Click here to download the pdfLink opens in a new window of the content below.