Am am wondering whether mathematical thinking was developed in humans because of trade. If this is so, then money would have preceded geometry, the mathematicalisation of space, which I think was introduced by the greeks or eygyptians.
2006-12-19 05:24:02 · 6 answers · asked by jonny b 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
Researchers have found evidence of a proto-monetary system existing in cultures as far back as 100,000 BC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5099104.stm ).
As for geometry, there is evidence that it began long before the Greeks or Egyptians--geometric forms engraved in cave art suggest the emergence of mathematical thought over 70,000 years ago (http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/SU/caveart.html ).
A long time ago, but still after money came along...so who knows?
2006-12-19 05:35:17 · answer #1 · answered by foxwallow 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
mathematical thinking is natural... it begins when you are able to make comparisons to determine equality or inequality.....
for infants it begins with sight and hearing.... the baby sees the mother and recognizes that she looks feels and smells different than others.... this is the first comparison of equality or inequality
later it is used in voice recognition for the same thing, even earlier consider that the fetus moves inside the womb is evidence that the child is experiencing some type of interaction requiring them to make a decision and react
Decision making is the basis for all mathematical analysis of equality or inequality... to affect value... wouldn't you think
isn't that the basis of binary 0/1 on/off equal/unequal
get the mathematical thinking, sorry my english was poor but i was just typing off the top of my head
2006-12-19 14:05:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Paper Money :
The earliest banknote ever found.
Frustrated that they could not carry loose change in their togas, the Romans invented paper money around 1000AD. When Emperor Claudius ran out of money, he wrote IOU notes, promising that he would pay 100,000 lira (that's about 2 shillings) to his debtor. When Claudius fled to Spain around the time of Elija, he took the idea with him, and it was in Barcelona that the first true banknotes in the world were printed. To this day, Spanish notes carry the face of Claudius, who was known in those days as Miguel I.
http://www.allworldknowledge.com/money/index.html
Around 650 AD, the emperor of China began to issue paper "value tokens" for general use. As Marco Polo reported enthusiastically in 1275, "I tell you that people are glad to take these tokens, because wherever they go in the empire of the great Khan, they can use them to buy and sell as if they were pure gold".
Europeans had to wait until the 17th century when Sweden took the lead in issuing paper currency. Other countries gradually followed the Swedish example.
http://www.gi-de.com/portal/page?_pageid=42,54468&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
2006-12-19 13:35:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Shekel, also rendered sheqel, refers to one of many ancient units of weight and currency. The first known usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. The word is thought to have originally applied to a specific volume of barley ('She' = Akkadian for Barley). The Shekel was originally derived from the weight of 180 grains (one grain weighs about 0.047 grams, so roughly 8.5 g per Shekel The earliest shekels were money, but they were used for trading before coins. A coin is money that is stamped with an official seal to certify its weight. Coins were invented by the early Anatolian traders who stamped their own marks so that they would not have to weigh it again each time it was used. Later the stamping was taken over by official authorities who designed the coins. (Detroit Institute of Arts, 1964) Herodotus states that the first coinage was issued by Croesus, King of Lydia, spreading to the golden Daric, issued by the Persian Empire and the Silver Athenian obol and drachma.
2006-12-19 13:32:21 · answer #4 · answered by JRibby 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Currency has been around for millennia. It wasn't just in the form of gold or greenbacks. I'm not sure when it was thought to have been invented, but I'm sure it was long before the egyptians. Also "mathematicalisation" is not a word.
2006-12-19 13:38:40 · answer #5 · answered by Aurelius 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
after the barter system. You shud read history books about the barter system. that might give u a clue or some dates.
2006-12-19 13:32:04 · answer #6 · answered by NYC GIRL 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋