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Ancient Egyptian Math Is Identical To Math Used In Modern Computers (VIDEO)

by TLTheLiberator
5 replies
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In 2008 mathematician and author Michael S. Schneider took the time to put together this incredible video illustrating how the mathematics used by Ancient Egyptians happens to be identical to that used in computers today.

Initially we shook our heads with confusion when Schneider said this, but it all becomes crystal clear as he takes you through the entire short process, simply and elegantly demonstrated on his large notepad.

The Ancient Egyptians somehow figured out how to do multiplication without memorizing times tables, and how to do long division without that horrible half box that was the bane of most early childhoods.

We borrowed their tricks and built computers with them. WHOA.




  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Egyptians have demonstrated very early on that are 10 kinds of people; those who understand binary and those who don't.

    Seriously, this method is in fact exactly how they got around the utility of zero. The number zero did not exist in their calculations.

    And these algorithms really were taught to college students learning to program mainframe computers beginning back in the `60s.

    Even today, these are techniques for doing math on the fingers or even mentally that are faster and more natural than a calculator.
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    There was a dude in the 1990's selling a "be a math wiz" course. I think he was using these methods outlined in the video.


    TL
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    "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain

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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      In some asian countries this has been taught for centuries and is still being taught to school children. In South Korea for example, these kids have won math contests against calculators. Once the principle itself is understood, all of it can be done even more rapidly mentally. But with computers so prevalent this begs the question - why?
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
    Yeeperz! It's so easy to do math that way, it's confusing.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Well, the binary code is used for a VERY simple reason! It is SCALABLE, EASY TO DESIGN, AND HANDLES SIGNAL DEGRADATION!

    SCALABLE? Well, if one line presented say 1000 values, what happens if you want it to hold 10000? MORE? It is impractical!

    EASY TO DESIGN? Well, HOW do you handle a design with basically one line coming in, and have to, ON THE FLY, decode it?

    HANDLES DEGRADATION? Well, memory DEGRADES! Dynamic, used in most circuits today, degrades VERY quickly! It has to be refreshed within about 2ms(2 THOUSANDTHS of a second)! The binary method requires ONLY that the 5volt potential be at least 2.6volts to register as a one. So it can degrade by almost 50% of its potential and nobody would EVER know, or care! You don't need to even detect the voltage. The potential is pulled below a trigger point and if the voltage from the circuit is high enough to trigger it, it is considered a ONE!

    So it makes no sense to say people copied this from the egyptians. HECK, I'm surprised they don't say we copied it from the hindus(indians from india). The vedas supposedly have WHOLE VOLUMES on math tricks.

    Steve
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