Numeral System & Math Methods were invented by the Chinese

[Knight-Dragon]

A S'porean researcher had discovered that our current numeral system and basic mathematical functions (additions, subtractions etc) came fr China, rather than Arabia or India. Discovery was unique 'cause the researcher, being a S'porean Chinese, was capable of accessing and understanding ancient sources fr China and also elsewhere. Can this be true? Very interesting.....

http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/story/0,1870,125707,00.html?

http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/cybernews/story/0,1870,125770,00.html?

 

[Thuloid]

Interesting. Seems plausible. One must be wary of thinking that the same operations weren't possible in other numeral systems, though. I've done some work on Babylonian mathematics and found that their system was capable of representing any size of number, and for certain operations was much more efficient than our own. It had a sign for zero (superior to the Chinese in that regard) and was amazingly efficient at fractions and calculations of reciprocals. They were doing rather complex operations with cube roots before 1800 bc. Of course, certain other kinds of operations were unnecessarily complex, but the point is that any system makes trade-offs.

 

[Alcibiaties of Athenae]

Makes sense, considering how old Chinese culture is.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by Thuloid
Interesting. Seems plausible. One must be wary of thinking that the same operations weren't possible in other numeral systems, though. I've done some work on Babylonian mathematics and found that their system was capable of representing any size of number, and for certain operations was much more efficient than our own. It had a sign for zero (superior to the Chinese in that regard) and was amazingly efficient at fractions and calculations of reciprocals. They were doing rather complex operations with cube roots before 1800 bc. Of course, certain other kinds of operations were unnecessarily complex, but the point is that any system makes trade-offs.

Yes, certainly in agreement with you on above. But the thing is this Chinese system seemed to be the direct ancestor of the present system we're using nowadays (fr what I'm reading). I didn't even realize - always thought our present system had its roots in Arabia or India - that it could have come fr my ancestral homeland. Cool.

I wonder what other things we can discover if more research goes into those Chinese historical records....

 

[Alcibiaties of Athenae]

Wouldn't it be facinating if those records filled in the many blanks of history?

Suppose they told of cultures and civilizations they predate Sumer and Eygpt, maybe going back to the last ice age?

I sometimes wonder about this, 150 years ago most people had no idea of Sumer, and now it's considered the cradle of civilization. Suppose in some dark and forgoten past, there were other great cultures, lost through natural disasters or perhaps wars, maybe both.

The history books would be rewritten, what a glorious time it would be!

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Recently, they did find a new ancient form of writing in Central Asia, independent of the Mideast or China. About a few thousand years old. However, not much of it was left; merely markings on a few items. The experts were arguing whether it was writing at all.

Excavations are continuing.... Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[De Lorimier]

I read a good fiction book by René Barjaval called "La nuit des temps" (The night of time), and the story of the book is the discovery of an ancient civilization under antartica. He makes them years ahead of us technology and moraly wise and it related to the scare of world destruction by nuclear weapons in the 60's (the book was written back then). I strongly recomended it.

As far as the chinese discovery goes, well, yes, it is cool. I agree with A of A, it would be amazing to discover more information from our past... Maybe clear some stupid misconception we have from those "barbaric days".

 

[Thuloid]

I'm encouraged any time we make discoveries that show ancient peoples to have been similar to ourselves. They weren't particularly stupid or particularly moral, and occasionally accomplished something really great.

I'm somewhat bummed that real research into the Sumerians has been basically on hold for more than 30 years now. We've made incredible archaeological finds regarding many other civilizations over that span, but Iraq has made such finds all too difficult.

 

[philippe]

it would be highly interesting...
imagine....
a whole new story in the pages of history.

 

[FredLC]

Originally posted by Alcibiaties of Athenae
Suppose they told of cultures and civilizations they predate Sumer and Eygpt, maybe going back to the last ice age?

Just a small comment, out of the topic.

I've seen a few time ago in the Discovery Channel (or perhaps in National Geographics, don't know for sure) that you call an "Ice Age" any period of time when part of the Earth is frozen.

So, technically, we are living an "Ice Age".

 

[Padma]

To follow the off-topic comment:

"Ice Ages" usually are figured by checking the mean temperature and ice coverage of the whole (or at least a major part of the) earth. Scientists calculate that the last "mini-ice-age" ran from about 1200AD to 1900AD, give or take 50 yrs. (A real precise calculation. ) As it stands, the mean global temperature is not even as warm as it was back in the 900s, a thousand years ago. "Global Warming" may be largely just the earth returning to "normal"!

To try to get in something ON topic:

It would not be surprising to learn that our modern numerical and mathematic systems came from ancient Chinese systems. Even before Marco Polo made contact with "Cathay" (whether you believe his stories or not), ideas and knowledge flowed (albeit slowly) between East and West.

 

[Evie]

Personally, I've been wondering for a while now if it could have been possible for Jesus or those who wrote the New Testament to have had access to Confucean teachings in parts...the NT looks like a blend of the above and Jewish tradition with a sprinkling of the prophecies (I am not casting judgement one way or the other on their validity).

Some of the resemblances between the two philosophy are striking...(as Matteo Ricci noticed, only, he went at it backward to convince the chinesse to convert, and because he believed in the bible)