From Babylonians to Binary: A History of Counting (Full Course)

Welcome to one of many courses in number theory and the history of mathematics! 

Arithmetic evolved through time not only from the base-10 number systems we know and use today but as well from those of the Egyptians, the Romans, the Chinese, and many other cultures. This course will help students appreciate the historical journey of counting and calculating numbers in these many contexts and open the door for them to other exciting subjects in number theory in mathematics. It will also provide insight into the world we live in today, where base-10 may be dominant but others (such as base-2 and base-16) are more so in fields like computer programming.

This course is aimed at providing students the opportunity to exercise both critical thinking and historical appreciation, all while comprehending the mechanics of these mathematics. The only prerequisites to taking this course (other than the recommended "Day 0: Counting and Numbers in Other Bases") are a knowledge of the following:

 - Basic arithmetic (namely addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) 
 - Familiarity with exponents or powers (e.g. squared numbers, cubed numbers, etc.)
 - A love of numbers and how they work
 - An interest in history, other cultures, and how mathematicians think about numbers in all their variety

Progress is evaluated through short homework assignments completed outside class (some with interesting videos with additional information) and in-class problems and puzzles. Here is what we will be studying: 

Starting with the origins of our own base-10 number system on "Day 0," we will begin our journey with entertaining the idea of other bases and practicing some basic calculations in them. Moving forward, we'll continue exploring the exciting history and uses of systems in other bases from ancient cultures as diverse as Egyptian, Roman, and Chinese (Day 1-5). We will then conclude our series with basic binary and base-16 from computer programming (Day 6) and the important history of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system we use today (Day 7). 

So if you love learning world history or simply want to explore all the many ways numbers have been (and still are) counted and calculated throughout time, this is the course for you. I look forward to seeing you in class!

Note: A minimum of four (4) students must be enrolled for this class to be held as scheduled. Students who wish to remain enrolled even in the case of there not being a sufficient number of enrollees will be transferred to the next available scheduled day and time of the same class.

Still got questions? Feel free to contact me for more information!