The
story of Maths Part I elucidates math as a universal language. It is true that
not everyone appreciates math but little do they know that from the moment they
woke up they had already used the principles of math until they go back again
to bed. Math is used everywhere and is used all over the globe which makes math
a common necessity to all. Unfortunately not everyone is able to know its great
significance. It is pleasing to know that there are people who are concern
regarding this matter and had done a great effort in educating people in a
critical and enjoyable way.
In
the start of the movie the host Marcus du Sautoy explained how fundamental math
is in our lives. After which he talked about the three civilizations that had
great contributions and impacts in the field of mathematics. The three
civilizations were ancient Egypt (Egyptian), Mesopotamia (Babylonian) and
Greece (Greek) respectively.
He
told the history of mathematics in Egypt how it was economically important for
the Egyptians to know the different flooding patterns of the river Nile. There
was also a need for them to solve some practical problems. Those were just some
of the factors that had lead them to use the number system base ten, decimal
system, fractions and the pyramid.
After
the vast background about Egypt he then went to the Mesopotamian Civilization,
the Babylonian. He learned and imparted that the way we tell the time nowadays
is based on the Babylonian’s number system base sixty and he showed that
Babylonians discovered the quadratic equations to measure their lands.
Finally
Greece, it is where most of the well-known Mathematicians were born;
Pythagoras, Plato, Euclid and Archimedes. Those people were the ones who had
changed Mathematics from a simple tool of counting to a more critical and
analytical subject.
The
movie or program was arranged in a chronological order on how math had evolved
during the ancient times which enables the viewers to connect and to understand
what the movie is basically trying to depict or impart. The introduction of the
movie was able to catch the viewer’s attention easily because the host mentioned
the connection of math and the viewer’s daily lives. The three different
civilizations being mentioned in a stimulating manner was useful so that
viewers would be more interested with each civilization and not easily get
bored and tired with just a single revolving topic. However, the voice of the
host wasn’t that clear because of his British accent which had causes some to
misunderstand what he was saying and had caused boredom to some viewers.
The
story of Maths Part I had lead the viewers to a vast and deeper understanding
of Mathematics. It thought the viewers how important math is and how math is
widely used all over the world. The movie was able to instill to the viewers
that most phenomenon that humans could
not explain through words are answerable by mathematics.
Hi Ivy! I totally agree with you there. It did lead me to a deeper understanding of mathematics. Nice blog!:)
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