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How Did Babylon Influence Future Mathematics

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How Did Babylon Influence Future Mathematics
While both the Egyptian and Babylonian time periods certainly influenced future mathematics, it seems to be Babylon that had the most to offer. Egypt achieved many feats that required skill in mathematics, but it isn't completely clear how they came about these as their use of papyrus meant much information did not survive. This doesn't mean that they didn't influence the societies and people that came after or from them. It is simply that because of the limited information about their mathematic techniques, we do not have a complete understanding of just how much influence they had. According to Smith, the Egyptians overcame problems of surveying in order to keep accurate records of the Nile's level (p. 43), solved linear equations (p. 48), and had 12 hour divisions of the day (p. 50). They also erected pyramids with very accurate slopes that surely required some mathematical skill, but their process is something scientists can only speculate about.

Within Babylon, individuals kept information on clay tablets which meant that more of their work survived to be studied. From this, there is much more that is known about their mathematic capabilities, …show more content…
The reason Babylon seems to have possibly more influence is that we can see more of what they were capable of. While the Egyptians were able to do many things that required the use of mathematics, it is unclear how they came about the answers to their problems. As a result, it is hard to determine just how much influence they were capable of having on the future.

References
Smith, D. E. (1951). History of Mathematics: General Survey of the History of Elementary Mathematics (Vol. 1). New York: Dover Publications.

Allen, D. (1997, January 28). Babylonian Mathematics. Retrieved from
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