Role of Mathematics in History - Essay Sample

Introduction

Time can be defined as the duration of activity taking place. It is essential in measuring different events taking place. Time has been dated back to the ancient people. The people of the past showed interest in keeping time. The investment was forced by the economic and cultural activities which were necessary to people of the past. Since then, the use of time has experienced continuous improvement. The improvements were geared towards attaining a better system, especially today where the world is so dynamic. Time controls many activities of a human being, or we can say it runs the world. It is therefore paramount for human nature to keep time as it has been since the past. The need to save time has led to several innovations which help man to observe time. These innovations have improved over time.

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Today at any moment we can be able to know what time it is by the use of conventional devices of to measuring time. These devices are watches, clocks, or even cell phones. But before this innovation, which is very convenient, during ancient times people had had to come up with ways and forms of measuring time. There were several ways in which old people measured and read the time. Among these forms, most of them used mathematical concepts. There was a great application of mathematics which involved count and measurements to mention a few.

One of the most renowned ancient methods of measuring time, which used mathematical knowledge, was the use of Obelisks. Obelisks are tall four-sided pillar monuments which were built by ancient Egyptians. The photos of Obelisks appear above. From the observation, Obelisks are tall and are four-sided, it is constructed in strategic positions where the sun rays would hit the Obelisks without any obstruction so that they can cast shadows as the sun moves in the sky. It was also divided into two to enable people to see the two halves of the day. This was a clear application of division one of the operations on whole numbers as a concept. It also applied the principle of trigonometry in the shape of the Obelisk. The entire system of measuring time was mathematical. The structure was four-sided, which was intended to enable it to form a sharp image for accuracy. It was also tall enough to produce sufficient shadow. Although this form of reading time was primitive, it helped people to observe time.

Another method of measuring the time used by ancient people was the sundials. These were straight lines that showed hours. It was an innovation by Egyptians, which helped them count the number or of hours in a day. This structure was subdivided into equal parts to represent the hours of a day. This system was a product of mathematics. The subdivisions served the current fractions. This concept was adopted and accepted by people and was different advanced scientists across the globe. This application helped people in a more significant way as far as measuring time was concerned.

Apart from time, mathematics was also used during ancient times in education. Mathematics is as old as education. Ancient people thought mathematics as part of learning. Pure mathematics of computing operations was considered as the basis of culture and tradition. It was necessary also in economic and social activities. Mathematics has contributed to the growth of education.

Cocnlusion

In conclusion, mathematics has played a significant role in human lives. Both in ancient time and present age, mathematics has been used to come up with various technologies whose intention is to make the experience more efficient. The above citation is a few areas where mathematics has, and from the above analysis, it is now evident that mathematics is a crucial element in human life. It has provided solutions to many problems relating to social activities.