The Loft Room - 6s & 7s
Mathmatics
Would mathematics exist if people didn't? Did we create mathematical concepts to help us understand the world around us, or is maths the native language of the universe itself? Was maths invented or was it discovered? This last question is one of our lines of inquiry in our Unit of Inquiry ‘Maths is a language’. The children and teachers have embarked on an exciting journey into the history of maths to uncover the story of maths. This provides us with context and gives a life to maths that exists around us everywhere. We are beginning to understand that maths is not an isolated subject, it is more than shapes and numbers. Maths is everywhere and it is a socially constructed concept. Our activities to support the learning are chosen to provide the children with experience and practise too.
The history of maths!
Do you know how high you can count using your fingers? Spoiler alert! More than 10!
Did you know that many cultures used body parts for counting too?
The ancient Babylonians used a base-60 system. They would use their left thumb to count the segments on each finger (so 12 on your left hand), then the right thumb to mark each finger on the right to represent a group of 12. This base-60 system paved the course for there being 60 minutes in the hour, and 60 seconds in the minute! There are tribes in Papua New Guinea that use a base-27 system instead of 10 and count across their body rather than just their hands.The most amazing part of this is that each system can still be used to do maths! The common base-10 system is merely a lens through which one can perceive the world of maths. We may have 10 fingers, but the body can be broken up into a seemingly infinite amount of parts that could form a number base system. Have a go creating your own: What number would be your base number, and which body parts would you use to count? Do you think your system would be more or less efficient than base-10?
Talitha Crawford,
Oliver Breedon & Paul O'Leary
6s & 7s Classroom Teachers
talitha.crawford@preshil.vic.edu.au