The sexagesimal system invented by the Babylonian brings us a very different perspective on our current place value system. At first glance, it is a bit inconvenient and challenging for us to use 60 and its powers for representing numbers or doing calculations. Some people like me might prefer solving sexagesimal problems by firstly converting them into base 10 numbers before doing calculations. However, we cannot deny the fact that the number 60 is to some extent more attractive and useful as the base for a number notational system. For instance, 60 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30 and 60, whereas 10 is only divisible by 1, 2, 5 and 10. Most importantly, the prime number 3 is one of the divisors of 60 whilst all the multiples of 10 can not be divided by 3. Having a variety of divisors made calculation more convenient in the past, especially for merchants who attempted to divide up a huge amount of goods [1]. It is interesting that the sexagesimal system still exis...
Sijie, Your presentation is wonderfully curated to bring together the history, sociology, art, and, mathematics of Tangram. This is a great presentation for teachers and students. You have reminded me of details for the use of Tangrams in teaching and learning. As well, the story of the spread of Tangram to Europe is something new for me. I like how you have used one whole piece of paper to create each part of your Tangram.
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