Abstract
Mathematics began with counting and numbers. To understand the roots of mathematics, then, we must go back to the time when numbers were first used—a most difficult task. Yet, such a journey will help us discover whether mathematics is a secondary characteristic of human beings, something we accidently invented, or whether it is really a basic part of our nature. If mathematics is a fundamental part of being human, then it strengthens our belief that mathematics can and should be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of our society, and not just a few “bearded old men.”
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References
Discover, “Human Origins: And a One and a ... Uh, Uh ...,” April 1997, p. 19.
Ibid., June 1997, p. 14.
Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Before Writing, Vol. 1 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992), p. 7.
Karl Menninger, Number Words and Number Symbols (New York: Dover Publications, 1969), p. 11.
Schmandt-Besserat, p. 188.
Ibid., p. 192.
David Eugene Smith, History of Mathematics (New York: Dover Publications, 1951), p. 43.
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© 1999 Calvin C. Clawson
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Clawson, C.C. (1999). Early Counting. In: Mathematical Sorcery. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6433-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6433-5_2
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