Numeracy News - BBC Marcus du Sautoy
Monday 5 October 2008
NEW BBC SERIES!
The History of Maths with Marcus du Sautoy
Finally the BBC release a series dedicated to Maths! The first part of this exciting new Four-part series about the history of mathematics was aired on Monday 6th October on BBC 4. Click here to be taken to the BBC iPlayer website where you can watch the first part in full.
After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece.
In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system.
In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the transformation of mathematics from a tool for counting into the analytical subject we know today.
Click here to be taken to the BBC iPlayer website where you can watch the first part in full.
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