Throwback: The Day Mathematics Was Born

                In the number of steps I make until I reach the room for our Ecology class, in the amount that I pay the Habal-Habal driver from our boarding house to CSM, in determining the number of ATP produced in the end of glycolysis, and in the number of times I see my crush every day, there is Math. I am fully aware that Math is everywhere. I am fully aware that Math is very important in our everyday life. However, I have never tried to ask myself how it all started.

                Probably, there are a lot of people who hated Math and wished it never existed. They find Math twisted and complicated but I think that makes Math special and different from any other subject. It is interesting to find out what lies beneath it.

                When we watched the BBC special report entitled “The Story of Maths”, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard “wow” and “ahhh” in the classroom. The special report highlights how the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans built a foundation for the understanding of Math. It told a story about how our ancestors used the patterns around them to understand the concepts in math.

                In Egypt, they counted the number of days between lunar phases to determine when the flooding of Nile river will occur. They did not have devices back then to determine when the flood will occur but they looked around them and noticed that the moon could be of good help. They were very smart to have used concepts of Math for their survival.

                The most amazing part of the special report is where the host discussed how the value of pi was determined by the Egyptians. They were playing Makola and noticed that when the stones are compact in a space, they form a circle. From this simple observation, they performed an experiment using 64 stones. The 64 stones could make a circle with a diameter of 9 units. They used the calculation of the area of the circle to derive the value of pi.

                That part just made me ask myself, “Can our generation still manage to think like that?”. When teenagers of our generation see a pi in an equation, they dread just the thought of it. We can calculate answers to equations with pi in just some clicks away using the scientific calculator yet we still complain. But the Egyptians, they managed to determine the value of pi, itself, without the aid of any device such as calculator. Our generation is very lucky for the Egyptians never complained and gave up because if they did, we will never figure out its accurate value.

                Another brilliant part also caught my attention. This is the building of pyramids by the Egyptians using the mathematical theorems such as Pythagorean theorem. Who would have thought that mathematics could lead to the construction of one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”?

                On the other hand, the second civilization explored was Babylonian civilization. They had an innovative method of counting numbers. They use their knuckles on their left hand and their fingers and right hand. This allows them to count about 60 numbers. It is interesting because we can still adapt this method of counting that would allow us to maximize the use of our hands.

                Moreover, they are also the ones to discover the base-60 system which is now adapted in telling time. The number 60 can be divided in many ways making it an efficient base to do arithmetic. There are 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute. I cannot imagine telling time in a different way than how we do it now. Thanks to the Babylonians!

                I am also very impressed with the way Babylonians see a problem. They do not just look at one side of the problem. In the agricultural development, for example, they even incorporate the concept of Mathematics. They determine the area of a land using shapes and symbols which led to the discovery of quadratic equations. Nowadays, we use known formulas to solve areas and perimeters of shapes with ease without knowing who formulated them. I couldn’t be more thankful to the Babylonians for being so in love with Math. How I wish this generation would be in love with Math the same way they did!

                The last civilization explored was the Greek civilization. This is where many theorems on geometry constructed by Pythagoras were born. The understanding of the relationships of the sides of a triangle and a circle were fully grasped and served as foundation to the knowledge in geometry that we now have.

                I was amazed when I found out from the special report that the Greeks even used geometry to deduct the harmonic series. Even Mathematics can be applied in the field of Music. Math is indeed, everywhere. So, those people who hate Math can never run from it.  Our ancestors have created a special bond with Math that can never be broken.

                The story of Math did not just tell me about numbers, geometry, theorems and quadratic equations. It told me something deeper. Behind these patterns, sequences, and events around us lies Math.

 It made me realize that, probably, answers that I’m seeking all this time are just around me, waiting to be discovered. Like the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks who never gave up in finding the answers to their problems, I shall never give up too.

After all, this is not just the story of numbers, patterns, and symbols. It is not just a story about mathematicians and philosophers who changed the course of life. It is a story of inspiration which was marked by that day mathematics was born.