[ExI] history of math

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat
Sent: Monday, 21 November, 2022 8:35 AM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: William Flynn Wallace <foozler83 at gmail.com>
Subject: [ExI] history of math

 

>…I read where Fibonacci, aka Leonardo of Pisa, discovered the use of Arabic numerals around 1200 .  Far better than Roman numerals, he said.

 

>…Does that mean that the West used only Roman numerals until that time? If so, no wonder nothing got done in the Middle Ages.   bill w

 

 

 

My understanding is they used both.  Pope Sylvester II used and taught the Arabic numerals toward the end of the 10th century but Roman numerals fought back and held on for a while.  You can’t do any real math with the Roman number system, but of course Rome wanted a monopoly on power.  Funny how things never change, ja?

 

spike 

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