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Accounting Mathematics in West Africa: Some Stories of Yoruba Number

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Mathematics Across Cultures

Part of the book series: Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science ((SACH,volume 2))

Abstract

The meeting of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, held in London on 9th March 1886, passed a motion that the paper, ‘Notes on the Numeral System of the Yoruba Nation’, prepared by Adolphus Mann Esq., be taken as read. The published report of that meeting, which includes the text of Mann’s paper, does not enable us to be entirely sure of how Adolphus Mann Esq. came to make his notes, but there are indications that he had made personal observations of people actually using Yoruba numerals in the course of their trading.

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Verran, H. (2000). Accounting Mathematics in West Africa: Some Stories of Yoruba Number. In: Selin, H. (eds) Mathematics Across Cultures. Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4301-1_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4301-1_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-0260-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4301-1

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