How long has math been around

Mathematics is at the center of our modern world, whether we'd like to admit it or not. Behind our smartphones, our cars, our computers, even the weather, math is quietly working to calculate the past, present, and future. Math is a scientific principle that seems to predate even science itself. When you stop and think about it though, who was the first person to use math? After all, we know famous inventors of specific equations, but what about for math as a concept?

This doesn't seem like too far off of a proposition either given that modern realms of science have founders, like Max Planck, the father of quantum mechanics or Isaac Newton and calculus. So, who invented mathematics? The origins of mathematics date back to early pre-historic times that were, well, prehistory. That means that we have no proof of the origins of the first use of mathematics, but we can infer.

The first peoples on earth would've had to deal with principles of number, magnitude, and form on a daily basis. From deciding which berry to eat or which basic task accomplished the most work in the shortest amount of time. In a hunter-gatherer culture, you early humans also would've had to have dealt with the division of food evenly throughout the community. So there would've needed to have been some method of mathematical distribution.

There are many proofs, and truths about mathematics that make sense way before mathematicians could make sense of them. The Sumerians were the first civilisation to have developed a counting system. It is a common belief amongst many scientists that some of the oldest and most basic mathematical functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division have been used for over 4, years.

The workbooks used in those times were clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia. There are also examples of the Egyptians having made mathematical discoveries dating back around 4, years and seen on Egyptian papyruses an ancient writing material. In Central America, the Mayans were using mathematics to further their understanding of astronomy. They developed elaborate calendars and used maths as a means to understand the passing of time. The history of mathematics then began to speed up when discoveries were then formalised and became an organised science in Greece around 2, to 3, years ago.

Once the ancient Greeks began discovering explanations for natural phenomena and put some of the foundations on arithmetic and geometry, the discoveries in applied mathematic s began to greatly accelerate. The concept of geometry allows for the construction of structures, vehicles, and cities. It is supposed that math was made out of a result of necessity, such as needing to count, that it is not surprising that the first parts of math to be discovered were the basic parts of math.

Whether it was rationing a food supply or preparing the ranks of an army for battle, the basics of math functions were needed. This is why it is agreed amongst scientists that the oldest 4, years mathematical models were the simplest!

Thanks for joining the discussion, Isabela! We encourage you to keep researching the history of math at your library and online! We appreciate you sharing your opinion about this Wonder. We understand that sometimes people have different beliefs. We are simply telling the most common information about the invention of math. We're glad you're extending the Wonder by taking the quiz.

Click on "Test Your Knowledge" on the right side. It will link you to the quiz. Have fun and good luck! Hi, Murali! Raman was a famous physicists, who won a Nobel Peace Prize. We encourage you to keep researching more about him at your library and online. Maybe after researching you could write a biography about him.

Check out Wonder What Is a Biography? We hope this Wonder is helpful! We appreciate you stopping by Wonderopolis! Hi, Ethan! Because math concepts were often invented out of necessity, it is difficult to name only one person for inventing math. Instead, people worked together to create solutions and developed math concepts. If you're interested, we encourage you to continue researching the history of math at your library and online. Hello, Kritisundar Barman! You're right, that you can count with letters, which are known as roman numerals.

Thanks for commenting! We are glad you liked it, Olivia! We encourage you to try giving math a second chance. Math is very helpful for many things. Great connection, Myra! Math keeps evolving and changing over time.

Maybe you can keep researching the topic at your library. We're really glad you learned more about the origins of math, Clarina! We think you may enjoy these two Wonders about ancient history, math and invention! Can You Count with Letters? We're sorry to hear that you were confused with our Wonder about math, Wonder Friend Matt. Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis today! We think it must have been confusing back in ancient times, too.

What do you like about math? We agree that everyday life can lead to many discoveries, Wonder Friend Andrew. Just think of all the possible things that you may be able to discover just by exploring and observing your environment! We're sorry to hear you didn't like today's Wonder, Colby. We appreciate you letting us know your opinion. You'll have to stop back by and let us know what you think of tomorrow's Wonder. We think you may want to check it out!

We sure like hearing what you learned from today's Wonder and video, kepodgorski! Thanks for sharing what you learned about the discovery of math by exploring this Wonder today, James Alex.

Welcome back to Wonderopolis, ssobus! Hi there, ajrodriquez! Thanks for sharing your thinking with us today. You ROCK! We're SO glad that you learned that math and Pi were not invented to torture students. We're glad you learned some new things about the discovery of math today, Wonder Friend Nathan. Thanks so much for visiting Wonderopolis! We appreciate your excitement and enthusiasm, Wonder Friend TJ!

We hope you learned something new about math! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply.

Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Who invented math? What is the definition of mathematics? When did mathematics get its start? Tags: See All Tags add , algebra , angle , calculus , china , count , discovery , divide , Egypt , Geometry , Greece , India , invent , Math , mathematics , measurement , Mesopotamia , multiply , number , operation , prehistoric , Pythagoras , Pythagorean Theorem , science , subtract , Triangle , trigonometry.

Wonder What's Next? Try It Out If you want to keep the learning from today's Wonder of the Day adding up, grab a few friends or family members and explore the mathematical activities below: Put yourself in a caveman's shoes for just a little bit. But cavemen didn't wear shoes! OK, smarty pants, you know what we mean. Take some time to pretend that you're a prehistoric human being.

Your days are filled with mere survival. You must find food, water, and shelter. You must protect yourself from the many dangers in the world around you. What uses might you have for math? How might have you developed some basic mathematical skills? Have fun imagining how the very first beginnings of mathematics might have come about. For a fun change of pace, interview your math teacher. What does he or she find interesting about the origins of mathematics?

Share what you learned in today's Wonder of the Day and ask for input. You never know when your math teacher might be able to provide some unique insight into the history of the subject they teach. Do they remember any special stories from when they first learned about the history of certain mathematical discoveries?

Share what you learn with your friends and family members. Up for a challenge? Test how much you know about math and its history. Just jump online and navigate to Who invented math?

Take the quiz! NOTE: Today's Wonder of the Day probably only addressed a few of the questions you'll see on this quiz, so don't worry if you don't know all the answers. Just look at this quiz as a way to challenge yourself and learn some new math facts! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words fields count add student time unit invent discovery subtract multiply divide geometry mathematics algebra calculus theorem prehistoric trigonometry Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Caleb Mar 30, Hi, question why were computers invented and when were they invented? Milind Feb 17, Great website. I use it on regular basis. One request is to ensure that authenticate information is conveyed. Pythagoras theorem was actually mentioned hundreds of year before Pythagoras in the Indian text book. Feb 18, Addison Batsell Dec 7, First of all who had the idea to even make school a thing? Dec 10, Carly Aug 18, Carlos Aug 28, Yara Jun 10, Math is a very interesting subject, But,Sometimes it's difficult but thank you wonderopolis for sharing this information with us.

Jun 12, Mar 5, We're glad you liked this Wonder, too, luke!! Oliver Feb 28, Denise Lee Feb 13, I love math! It is my favorite subject and I like all of your math wonderopolises and I love to learn new things from them. Love it! Math is awesome! Do you like math? Feb 15, Hi, Denise! What is your favorite math topic so far?? Jan 25, Sep 26, The following is how you would cite this page: "Who Invented Math? Van Oct 1, Oct 3, Great, Van! Make sure you use the date YOU accessed this Wonder Sep 22, Aryan Sanskrit Jul 16, The Indus Valley is over 8, years old.

The decimal system in purely Hindu. The People of the Indus where practicing advanced math such as calculus and the binary system Math thousands of years before the Greeks,who took most of their knowledge from the Indus valley anyway. Jul 16, Eli Dec 7, I think its great u respond to your people on most sites they dont thats why this is so helpful. Jun 9, You did, Rita? That's amazing!

Fraction DUde May 23, May 24,