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Babylonian Trig Tablet — Parallax Forums

Babylonian Trig Tablet

ercoerco Posts: 20,256
edited 2017-08-25 17:34 in General Discussion
Claims to predate and outdo Greek mathematics a thousand years prior. NIKOS! If this Brit chap is spewing rubbish, you need to nip this in the bud, Bud!

Interesting form factor on this pocket-sized stone "tablet". Like a Galaxy S8. If the "screen" is curved then maybe they were very advanced!

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708251056792855-babylonian-trigonometry-greeks-research/

Comments

  • HughHugh Posts: 362
    Brit? Aussie, me-thinks...
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    Hugh wrote: »
    Brit? Aussie, me-thinks...

    Silly me! You're right, thank you Hugh.

  • MikeDYurMikeDYur Posts: 2,176
    edited 2017-08-25 23:19
    Highlights

    Plimpton 322 contains a fragment from a proto-trigonometric table.

    The Babylonians discovered exact sexagesimal trigonometry at least 1500 years before the ancient Greeks discovered trigonometry.

    Babylonian exact sexagesimal trigonometry uses exact ratios and square ratios instead of approximation and angles.

    https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/08/ancient-tablet-reveals-babylonians-discovered-trigonometry/

    Here is the abstract:
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  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,184
    I've heard about itl

    But the bottom of the tablet says on it, "Made in erco's garage by his robots." and it lists this year. And it was planted by them,
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,765
    The problem is the evidence is destroyed with time. Not only that but writing of that age is limited in amount. The Silk Road would have been in full swing back then, for example.

    I saw a doco recently that implicated the Greeks as sprung from the remnants of what has been named the Minoan empire (but suspected to be known as Atlantis at that time) that controlled most of the Mediterranean shores until a single volcano erupted, producing a huge tsunami wave. Every low lying city within the eastern Med were wiped out in a single day. The debris layer is quite distinctive.

    There is examples of the high tech level in the archaeological digs particularly on the island Crete. Multi-story buildings and huge art works were prevalent. They gave a distinct example of toilet design not seen again until the Romans. Yet there is next to nothing with writing on it. Maybe that'll change as more is excavated.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    It is perhaps surprising that these things were known long before the Greeks.

    But e have know for a long time that Pythagoras's theorem predates Pythagoras. Whoever he actually was. For example.

    What is shocking is that we now have a planet with over 7,000,000,0000 people on it. Most of whom have no idea about such things.

    Many of them in the "civilized" western world.


  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,184
    I agree.
    And sadly they do not listen to civilized music. I listen to classical music, on WQXR-FM in NYC, as it happens. And while your bit of trivia is indeed new to me, which is rare, but it is a good thing.

    However that doesn't answer one question. (See my comment about our resident robot builder's many robots.)
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    When we visited Rome earlier this year, I was amazed to see the old ruins, some dating back to BC. Also drove past Stone Henge. Previously I had only seen buildings like Windsor Castle. Here in Oz, buildings only started in 1788, although we do have aboriginal rock carvings that are very old.

    It's quite funny really, because at school I didn't like history, yet now some historic are fascinating. Guess it's old age ;)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    MikeDYur wrote: »
    The Babylonians discovered exact sexagesimal trigonometry at least 1500 years before the ancient Greeks discovered trigonometry.

    I don't think the mods will let us discuss sexagesimal here, or other hotly debated topics like politics or religion.

  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,184
    I agree with the man who had his cat type his reply. Let us put aside this discussion before the mods come out of suspended animation and close it for us.

    Besides.... No sorry I'm not adding fuel to the argument.
  • ozpropdevozpropdev Posts: 2,792
    Now I understand why I had trouble grasping mathematics at school.
    My very old teacher must of been Babylonian. :lol:
  • Peter JakackiPeter Jakacki Posts: 10,193
    ozpropdev wrote: »
    Now I understand why I had trouble grasping mathematics at school.
    My very old teacher must of been Babylonian. :lol:

    Same with mine, he was in his 60's :)


  • MikeDYurMikeDYur Posts: 2,176
    I done my best math in 8th grade, a young pretty female teacher could have been talking Greek to me, and I never realized it. :lol:
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    9th grade geometry opened my eyes. Mrs. Gibson was stunning.
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