History of Mathematics Quiz

Which ancient civilization used Sumerian clay stones for counting, where a small clay cone represented one, a clay ball represented 10, and a large cone represented 60?

• Persians

• Babylonians

• Romans

• Egyptians

What number system did the early Romans create that is still used today, where they used 'X' for 10 and 'I' for 1?

• Greek numerals

• Roman numerals

• Decimal system

• Binary system

Which culture used cowry shells as currency and developed a complex number system based on 20s, multiplication, subtraction, and addition?

• Chinese

• Uruba

• Zulu

• Arab

What big mathematical idea was invented in India in the 3rd Century BC that dramatically changed mathematics?

• Fractions

• Algebra

• Negative numbers

• Zero with place value

Which ancient civilization used unit fractions like 1/2, 1/3, and 1/5, and added these fractions to divide loaves of bread equally among family members?

• Persians

• Greeks

• Romans

• Egyptians

What was the handheld calculator of the Middle Ages that only few people knew how to use, usually wealthy merchants and money lenders?

• Abacus

• Slide rule

• Compass

• Astrolabe

Which great Arab mathematician introduced the Hindu Arabic numerals 0 through 9 into North America and Europe, creating new procedures for computation?

• Alhazen

• Al-Khwarizmi

• Al-Kindi

• Al Khwarizmi

What was the system based on tens used by Chinese societies with an early form of decimal fractions that came from the abacus?

• Decimal system

• Binary system

• Octal system

• Hexadecimal system

What mathematical concept did the ancient Egyptians rely on, where they doubled groups until they produced enough to find the answer?

• Addition

• Subtraction

• Multiplication

• Division

What was the hallmark of an education during the Renaissance period, where students were taught to compute long columns of figures, borrow and carry, and do long division efficiently and reliably?

• Slide rule

• Abacus

• Mental math

• Algorithms