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Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics pp 25–38Cite as

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The Need for a Revision of the Prehistory of Arithmetic and its Relevance to School Mathematics

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Abstract

Hypotheses about the early development of arithmetic were created at the time when it was believed that people living in preliterate societies were intellectually inferior to modern humans, and therefore they could develop only very primitive mathematical concepts. Based on the work of John Napier in 1617 and John Leslie in 1817, we show that the technology already available for millennia was sufficient to carry out very complex computations enabling advanced arithmetic to develop. We also discuss the possible use of this technology in modern classrooms.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003-8001, USA

    Patricia Baggett

  2. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309-0430, USA

    Andrzej Ehrenfeucht

Authors
  1. Patricia Baggett
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  2. Andrzej Ehrenfeucht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patricia Baggett .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematical Information and Computer Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California, USA

    Maria Zack

  2. Department of Philosophy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA

    Elaine Landry

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Baggett, P., Ehrenfeucht, A. (2016). The Need for a Revision of the Prehistory of Arithmetic and its Relevance to School Mathematics. In: Zack, M., Landry, E. (eds) Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics. Proceedings of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics/La Société Canadienne d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Mathématiques. Birkhäuser, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_3

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