Name: ______
#:______
Date: ______
Questions for The Story of Math: Episode 1 “The Language of the Universe”
Directions:
1) Read the entire worksheet before we start the video. You’ll have time to do this in class. You’ll need to know what to watch/listen for before we begin.
2) Watch the video carefully.
3) Answer the questions.
4) The final question is open-ended, and should be done for homework, due next week Tuesday (10/11)
Questions:
1) The Egyptians had no concept of ______(2 words).
2) What body parts did the Egyptians use to base their system of measurement off of? (circle one)
a. Ears and teeth
b. Fingers and toes
c. Head and leg
d. Palm and length of arm
i. SUPER BONUS: What was the basic unit of Egyptian measurement?
3) Is Ancient Egyptian multiplication the same as the way we multiply? What’s different about it?
4) When the problem comes up where they cut up the circular bread, can you think of an easier way to solve? (They’re trying to figure out how much bread each person gets, if you have 9 pieces of bread and ten people—but the way they solve is quite complicated!)
5) On the part that talks about Babylonia/Ancient Mesopotamia, what do the cinnamon sticks and weights in the balance represent?
6) The people from this part of the world based their system of numeration not on base ten, but rather on base ______.
7) When the people in this part of the video wanted to represent zero, did they use a symbol for it? If not, how was zero represented?
Homework assignment on back!!! (à)
The Final Question (for homework, due 3/8):
How does math help us solve problems in our daily lives? What are some examples from the video that demonstrate how people used math to help them with the challenges they faced in early history?
(Please answer in a paragraph below, in cursive, 5-7 sentences, due Tuesday, 10/11.)