Which options describe Chinese developments in mathematics?
(Select all that apply.)
Prior to inventing numbers, the Chinese method of number writing used clusters of short vertical or horizontal lines for digits.
The Han Dynasty invented calculus, even though Sir Isaac Newton has been given credit in most history books.
The Chinese discovered the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, known as pi (π), centuries before the Greek Empire.
The first Chinese book about mathematics, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, was composed before 200 BC.
Your answer is?
B and C?
To determine which options describe Chinese developments in mathematics, we need to analyze each option and determine their accuracy based on historical facts.
1. Prior to inventing numbers, the Chinese method of number writing used clusters of short vertical or horizontal lines for digits.
This option is true. The Chinese number system, known as the rod numeral system, did use clusters of short vertical or horizontal lines to represent digits. This system predates the use of positional notation and was commonly used until the introduction of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.
2. The Han Dynasty invented calculus, even though Sir Isaac Newton has been given credit in most history books.
This option is not true. The development of calculus is credited to Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who independently developed calculus in the 17th century. There is no evidence to suggest that the Han Dynasty invented calculus.
3. The Chinese discovered the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, known as pi (π), centuries before the Greek Empire.
This option is true. The Chinese mathematicians did approximate the value of pi (π) long before the Greek mathematicians. The Chinese mathematician, Zu Chongzhi, calculated the value of pi to seven decimal places in the 5th century AD, while the ancient Greeks were still using more approximate values.
4. The first Chinese book about mathematics, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, was composed before 200 BC.
This option is true. The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is one of the earliest Chinese mathematical texts dating back to around the 2nd century BC. It covers a wide range of mathematical topics, including algebraic methods, geometry, and surveying.
Based on this analysis, the correct options that describe Chinese developments in mathematics are:
- Prior to inventing numbers, the Chinese method of number writing used clusters of short vertical or horizontal lines for digits.
- The Chinese discovered the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, known as pi (π), centuries before the Greek Empire.
- The first Chinese book about mathematics, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, was composed before 200 BC.