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Post by privatepaddy on Dec 23, 2012 12:17:39 GMT
With recent attention to the end of a Mayan calendar and subsequently the start of a new cycle, a lot of documentaries were out doing the rounds. They covered much of the Mayan civilisation as well as the ending of the 13th (?) calendar. They briefly mentioned the mathematical skills of the Mayan scribes but did not elaborate. It makes me wonder just how advanced was their maths?
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Post by c64 on Dec 23, 2012 15:15:00 GMT
Their maths was not that amazing. What was amazing was their skill in observing the movement of stars, the sun and the moon and their puzzle solving skills.
Most puzzles can either be broken down into mathematical equations or solved by human logic like "If this and that results in something else, then maybe that and this will result in…" and then making assumptions and proof and disproof in waiting and watching what's the real outcome. After doing this long enough, you come up with a simple set of rules you can apply to solve other related puzzles. You don't really need maths!
The Romans had almost no mathematics at all! Instead they just went with making "sandbox models" by try and error and if they worked out and looked good they scaled them up and watched if they collapse or not. That's how they were able to build such amazing structures and machinery. No maths, just passion and human logic.
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