Re: measuring systems (was: Selenites)

Actually I have a book on Egyptian Architecture that describes their
methods of multiplication and division.  Their numbers were cumbersome,
but the sytem was extremely accurate.  If it was what I was taught at
the ages of 5 to 9, I would have learned in easily.  I don't really
think it is any more difficult than multiplication tables.  They also
used shorthands later in their history.  I'll make a post on it tonight
and send better details tomorrow.

> ----------
> From:
> fflores@tau.wamani.apc.org[SMTP:fflores@tau.wamani.apc.org] on behalf
> of Pablo Flores[SMTP:fflores@TAU.WAMANI.APC.ORG]
> Reply To:     Constructed Languages List
> Sent:         Tuesday, September 29, 1998 10:53 AM
> To:   'Constructed Languages List'
> Subject:      RE: measuring systems (was: Selenites)
>
> Raymond A. Brown wrote:
> >
> >No. Arabic numerals certainly made mathematics a whole lot easier,
> but the
> >ancient Greeks, for example, were doing pretty serious arithmetic
> centuries
> >before their introduction.  And Roman engineering also needed some
> quite
> >serious mathematics!
>
> And Egyptians, if I'm well informed, didn't have a practical way to
> multiply numbers (they didn't use a positional system, that's for
> sure).
> And nevertheless they calculated awfully well (not only for the
> Pyramids).
> [These exact calculations and other things have led some people to
> affirm
> they were helped by aliens. I think the human mind is surprising when
> it
> comes to great deeds.]
>
>
> --Pablo Flores
>
>