They valued oral tradition and storytelling.
Writing was a new technology and not everyone was literate.
Verbal explanations allowed for easier transmission and understanding of information.
The types of problems found on ancient papyri, books, and tablets focuses primarily on problems that relate to daily life. The solution methods for many ancient cultures are generally verbal, with mathematical statements written out in words. Why did most ancient cultures primarily write out their mathematical texts in words?
Many ancient cultures primarily wrote out their mathematical texts in words because writing was a relatively new technology at the time and not everyone was literate. It was easier to convey mathematical concepts through verbal explanations and descriptions rather than using symbolic notation that only educated individuals could understand. Additionally, many ancient cultures valued oral tradition and storytelling, so writing mathematical concepts in words allowed for easier transmission and understanding of the information. Furthermore, mathematical symbols and notation as we know them today did not exist in these ancient cultures, so verbal explanations were the most effective way to communicate mathematical ideas.
Sample response: Most ancient societies had symbols to represent numbers, but they did not have symbols to represent operations or unknown quantities. Thus, the problems and solutions to the problems had to be written in word form.
What did you include in your response? Check all that apply
They did not have symbols for operations.
They did not have symbols for variables or unknown quantities.
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