Issue 7: In the Name of Pi, Math in Our Lives

MATHEMATICS THROUGH THE AGES | 27
BRANDON GIESBRECHT & MELANIE E MAGDALENA | CC BY-SA 2.0
Calculation) which made him famous for spreading
the numeral system in Europe. In his book, he
uses examples of his famous Fibonacci sequence
(which he did not discover, but noted).
Binary
Computers do not count the way the rest of the
world does. With a two number system, or binary,
only the digits 0 and 1 are needed. The system
has existed prior to the Information Era but
is was first documented as the modern system
by Leibniz in the 17th century. Binary numbers
are usually longer than decimal numbers and
the strings of zeroes and ones grow to be even
longer when numbers get big. One million takes
twenty binary digits! For computers, one means
an electrical current is flowing and zero means
that the current is switched off. Binary can also
be used to represent letters and symbols. Each
character is a combination of eight digits. “A” is
0100 0001 and “a” is 0110 0001. If you want to try
out some binary converting, visit Roubaix Interactive’s
website!
Concluding
As we look back at all of these different systems
of math we must realizethat without these
mathematical systems many of our technological
achievements would have stalled. Math is a pivotal
part of construction. Large monuments like
the Egyptian pyramids utilized a standardized
system of measurement to achieve precision and
accuracy. The Roman Coliseum would not have
been possible without a system of mathematics.
The invention of currency also helped move society
from nomadic to agrarian which relied heavily
on counting. Currency allowed for a standard
of trade which made it possible for transactions
to be made with ease. Zero became more prominent
because of its usefulness in representing
the absence of something. In the 1900’s zero
became utilized in one of the most monumental
mathematical system of our era, binary, which
led to the internet and then to websites like Wikipedia,
Google, and now Origins. Imagine what
our world might look like if we never came up
with these mathematical systems or the concept
of zero? t
Origins Scientific Research Society