The first numbers
Further information: History of numeral systems
It is speculated that the first known use of numbers dates back to around 30000 BC, bones or other artifacts have been discovered with marks cut into them which are often considered tally marks. The use of these tally marks have been suggested to be anything from counting elapsed time, such as numbers of days, or keeping records of amounts. The earliest known example is from a cave in Southern Africa. Tallying systems have no concept of place-value (such as in the currently used decimal notation), which limit its representation of large numbers and as such is often considered that this is the first kind of abstract system that would be used, and could be considered a Numeral System. The first known system with place-value was the Mesopotamian base 60 system (ca. 3400 BC) and the earliest known base 10 system dates to 3100 BC in Egypt.
Love & blessings
Milly
2007-06-10 03:40:43
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answer #1
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answered by milly_1963 7
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The primitive notion of numbers, requiring thousands of years to be extracted from repeated concrete situations, appears to have evolved from the many physical contrasts prevelent in nature - the difference between one tree and a forest, one sheep and a herd. Likewise, it was noticed that objects within a group could be placed in one-to-one correspondence with objects from other groups; the hands can be matched (placed in one-to-one correspondence) with the feet. Consequently, there was a recognition of an abstract property shared by some groups: that ability to be placed in a one-to-one correspondence with each other. This property is what we now call number. Those groups which could not be placed in one-to-one correspondence did not share this property and are thus said to be different in number. Out of this realisation of "sameness" was born the concept of number in mathematics.
It is of great importance to recognize that the concept of number was born directly from observations of real physical phenomena exhibited in nature. The development of the concept of number was a consequence of observing both the likeness and contrasts found within nature: the likeness of groups that could be placed in one-to-one correspondence, the contrast of a single object against many objects of the same form. Indeed, the very notion of form and size was developed from observing the likeness and contrasts of objects. Our ability to percieve and interpret such likeness and contrast is what ultimitely led to the concept of number.
Numbers and Language
The development of language was essential to the rise of mathematical thinking, for language is the means of communicating thinking. Yet, words expressing numerical ideas were slow in arising. Number signs preceeded number words; it is easier to cut notches in a stick than it is to establish a universally acknowledged phrase to identify a number. Had language been more advanced then number systems other than the decimal (base 10) system may have made a greater headway.
2007-06-09 22:43:39
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answer #2
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answered by Xu D 2
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69
2007-06-10 07:56:50
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answer #3
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answered by sydgoldkid 4
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May be...
While counting fingures!!!
While trying to count attacks on us..
While trying to know how much one has...
While trying to figure out how many persons one flirted with....
2007-06-11 20:41:54
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answer #4
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answered by Dr. Rekhaa Kale 3
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link below
2007-06-09 22:42:56
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answer #5
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answered by STEVEY 1
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how many beavers rosie ate
2007-06-13 03:34:12
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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the arabians
2007-06-10 01:08:55
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answer #7
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answered by crystal 3
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when god created everything
2007-06-09 22:42:15
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answer #8
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answered by >wonder whats next< 6
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