Mesopotamian Math and Science
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The Mesopotamians helped this modern world with the many firsts of their civilization. From exploding stars to the wheel, we will explore Mesopotamian math and science. Our modern world has been shaped by the important developments of ancient civilizations.
Mathematics, Pythagorean Theorem to Creating the Sundial
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A2 + B2 = C2, the Pythagorean Theorem, most of us know this as Pythagoras’s famous formula but new evidence suggests that some Mesopotamians may have known it before him. An important creation of the Mesopotamians was the number system, base 60, which is like the metric system base 10. The Mesopotamians also invented the 60 second minute and the 60 minute hour which we still use today. One of their greatest inventions is the sundial, which was the first “clock”, utilizing the sun to tell time. They also came up with the basic formulas for finding the circumference of a circle with pi (3.14) and for finding the area for many geometric shapes, such as triangles and rectangles. Mesopotamians also came up with the 360 degree circle, vital for modern math. They had a deep knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, which they used for various everyday things. The Sumerians had a standard weight measurement called a mina. A mina was divided into 60 shekels which was about a pound. The farsang, about 4 miles, is the world’s oldest long distance measurement used in Babylon 4,000 years ago.
Science, Inventing Astronomy to Map Creation
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Mesopotamians invented astronomy. A cuneiform tablet shows a record of an exploding star in about 4,000BC. Modern astronomers have found remnants of the same exploding star. Babylonian astronomers studied the phases of the moon, which they used to create the first calendar that had 12 lunar months. It was the beginning stages of the Greek and Jewish calendars. The Babylonians were the first civilization believed to have a functional theory of the planets. Many of the constellations we see today were studied by the Babylonians. Out of all of the Mesopotamian city-states, the Babylonians were the best at astronomy. They were especially good at the study of planet movement. Neo-Babylonian astronomers were the first people to map and group the stars into constellations. This enabled them to predict eclipses and record the movement of planets. The Babylonian map of the world dates back to 600BC. Babylon is in the center of the map and is surrounded by 2 concentric circles that represent the ocean. It is believed that this map was an illustration of the entire world.
How Mesopotamian Math and Science affected us
Mesopotamians developed the Sundial, which is the basis for the modern clock and other time-telling machines. We wouldn't have the advanced type of Geometry we have today without the Mesopotamians finding out the circumference of the circle and the formula of doing so. Without the astronomical inventions of the Babylonians, modern astronomers couldn't have the mapping ability and planet finding ability they do today. If the Mesopotamians hadn't lived, most of the things that we take for granted wouldn't be real.