Early History. The early history of Egyptian Fractions is that the egyptian wrote the fractions the long way compared to now at days. For example on http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk it states “Egyptians only used fractions of the form 1/n so any other fraction had to be represented as a sum of such unit fraction.” meaning that they wrote the fractions with pictures or lines, they did not use numbers.
also my second evidence on early history on Egyptian fractions is on http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk it states “British Museum in London in 1864 and remained there ever since, being referred to as the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (or RMP for short).” meaning that the british were the first one to find out that the egyptian were writing with pictures and not numbers.This is the Early history evidence i found out and that they did there fractions with pictures and lines.
Used Today Now at days we don’t do our fractions with pictures we do them numbers and it isnt as confusing as write pictures, but we should still use it because for example on http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk it states “Suppose you and 7 other friends go for a pizza. You all like the same kind but you don’t want a whole one each.
The 8 of you decide to buy 5 identical pizzas. How do you divide them up between you?”meaning that if we didn’t use it now at days we wouldn’t be able to figure out problems because we still use picture to show fractions.Also on http://www.maths.
surrey.ac.uk it states “This was an everyday problem in ancient Egypt when barley loaves may have to be divided amongst workers.”meaning that they would argue for who would get the big part or if is was equally. This how we use fractions now.Application.This is how to use Egyptian fractions they never add like ¼ +¼ they did it by putting all together.
For Example on http://www.mathcats.com it states “fractions like 1/2 or 1/4 (one piece of a pie).
But to make fractions like 3/4, they had to add pieces of pies like 1/2 + 1/4 = 3/4.”meaning that they never simplyed to the same number they just put they together. Also on http://www.mathcats.com it states “Old Egyptian Math cats never repeated the same fraction when adding. They never wrote: 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = ¾” meaning that they put all the pictures(numbers) together without ever simplying.
This how the egyptians fractions were used or how they worked.How They Were Written.This how they wrote the egyptian fractions so like they did it the long way because for like For “2/29, they wrote 1/24 + 1/58 + 1/174 + 1/232 ” they split them to the long way. For Example on http://www.mathcats.com it states “Instead of writing 2/5, they wrote 1/3 + 1/15. For 2/7, they wrote 1/4 + 1/28.
Some of the fractions were very complicated.” meaning that they had a simplfied fraction and just a fraction that goes in the number to make a whole.Also on http://mathworld.wolfram.com it states “An Egyptian fraction is a sum of positive (usually) distinct unit fractions.
The famous Rhind papyrus, dated to around 1650 BC contains a table of representations of as Egyptian fractions for odd between 5 and 101. The reason the Egyptians chose this method for representing fractions is not clear” meaning that this was how it was written and it is hard to write this now at days. This how egyptian fractions were written.Hieroglyphic Numbers.
Hieroglyphics numbers are what they called there numbers.For example on discoveringegypt.com it states “The conventions for reading and writing numbers is quite simple; the higher number is always written in front of the lower number and where there is more than one row of numbers the reader should start at the top” meaning that they had a order to do the numbers or pictures. Also on discoveringegypt.
com it states “The Egyptians had a decimal system using seven different symbols.1 is shown by a single stroke.10 is shown by a drawing of a hobble for cattle.100 is represented by a coil of rope.1,000 a drawing of a lotus plant.
10,000 is represented by a finger.100,000 a tadpole or frog1,000,000 figure of a god with arms raised above his head.” meaning that hieroglyphics are pictures or animals. This is what they called there numbers or pictures. (bermudez, Year)
