Download Mathematics, Science, and Technology of Ancient Egypt

Name
Mathematics, Science, and Technology of
Ancient Egypt
By Phyllis Naegeli
We may think of ancient cultures
as being primitive. This is not
always true. The ancient Egyptians
were an advanced society. They had
knowledge in the areas of math,
science, and other technologies that
have influenced discoveries around
the world.
Ancient Egyptians used a numbering system based on ten. Vertical
tally marks were used to represent the numbers one through nine.
They used symbols for larger numbers. For example, a heel stood for
10, a crook was 100, 1000 was a flower, a finger represented 10,000,
and a tadpole represented 100,000. Most of the time, the highest
numbers were written first, however, sometimes the numbers were
written out of order. It seems as long as they added up to the correct
number, the Egyptians were happy! They also had methods for
adding, subtracting, and using fractions. In addition, simple division
and multiplication were used. Most of the time these functions were
done using only ten and two to perform the operation.
The standard used for measuring in ancient Egypt was the cubit. A
cubit was approximately twenty-one inches in length. Measurement
was important to the ancient Egyptian's economic system. They
needed to assess the size of land in order to calculate taxes. They
devised a system of weights to help in the sale of products. Angles of
pyramids and volume of columns were calculated with great accuracy.
In addition, they knew how to calculate the area of squares,
rectangles, and circles. Just as we do, ancient Egyptians divided
circles into three hundred and sixty degrees. And, you know that little
symbol we use to mean degrees? It's an Egyptian hieroglyph!
The ancient Egyptians had a calendar based on three hundred
sixty-five days. The beginning of each year was designated by the
appearance of the Dog Star - Sirius. The calendar was divided into
three seasons, which coincided with the farming cycle. Akhet was the
season when the Nile River flooded and deposited the rich soil needed
for growing crops. Perit was the season for sowing and growing the
plants, and the harvest season was called Shemu. Each season had
four months of thirty days accounting for three hundred sixty days.
The five extra days were designated as a festival. A legend says that
these days were given to the people by the sun god - Thoth. After
Thoth played a game of dice with the moon and won, the moon gave
him some of its light. With his winnings, Thoth created five extra
days for a festival.
Ancient Egyptians were also knowledgeable about astronomy. As we
have seen, they based their calendar on the appearance of the star Sirius. The sun was used to measure time and determine direction.
Pyramids were placed so that each side faced exactly north, south,
east, or west. Ancient Egyptians used shadow clocks to keep track of
the hours in a day. They did not use numbers to identify the hours.
Rather, certain times of day had special names. The length of their
hours changed with the seasons, too. While we measure each hour of
the day at sixty minutes, the ancient Egyptians divided their days and
nights into twelve equal parts. Because of the change in the length of
daylight hours from summer to winter, the length of the hours
changed a little each day!
One of the most famous architectural achievements of the ancient
Egyptians is the pyramids. These wonders are a testimony to the
advanced knowledge of this great civilization. The first pyramid was
built in 2650 B.C. for King Djoser. His architect, Imhotep, designed a
six level pyramid to represent a stairway to the sun god. The largest
pyramid is the Great Pyramid built for King Khufu in 2589 B.C. This
giant wonder has over 2.3 million limestone blocks and is 450 feet
tall. Another great structure is the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Its
long line of columns is so perfectly placed that a visitor in
midsummer can see the sun rising in the center of the last two
columns. Builders in ancient Egypt also constructed the Sphinx, huge
palaces, and amazing temples, including the Great Temple built by
Ramesses II in 1290 B.C.
The ancient Egyptians had a great deal of knowledge in the areas of
mathematics and measurement, calendars, astronomy, and
architecture. From the great pyramids to adding, counting, and
measuring, the ancient Egyptians made many contributions to the
science and technology of today. We owe them a hearty "thank you"!
5. What is the difference between how we divide our days and
how the ancient Egyptians divided their days?
Name
Mathematics, Science, and Technology of Ancient Egypt
Questions
1. Ancient Egypt's numbering system was based on ______.
A. fifteen
B. twelve
C. ten
D. one hundred
2. The numbers one through nine were represented by ______.
A. circles
B. vertical lines
C. horizontal lines
D. special symbols
6. The ancient Egyptians used names for times of day rather than
numbering them.
A. false
B. true
7. Name two of the architectural wonders found in Egypt.
3. What is a cubit? How long is it?
8. The ancient Egyptians always wrote their numbers in
descending order.
A. true
B. false
4. The ancient Egyptian calendar began when ______.
A. The Dog Star, Sirius, appeared in the sky.
B. The Nile River flooded.
C. The festival given by Thoth began.
D. none of the above
Plan a celebration for the festival given to the ancient Egyptians by
their god, Thoth. Include the food, games, and other festivities that
you would have at the festival.
Name
Make up names for three different times of the day. Explain the
reasons for your names.