Exploring The Global Heritage Of Mathematics
Earlier this month, the Maths Scholarships team hosted the final Maths Scholars CPD workshop of the academic year at The Studio in Birmingham. Maths Scholars from across the country gathered, alongside academics who conducted various workshops throughout the day, including a session titled "Exploring the Global Heritage of Mathematics."
Simon Clay led the session, initiating with an engaging activity. Each table was tasked with listing mathematicians featured on the GCSE and A-Level curriculum. Promptly, familiar names such as Pythagoras and Pascal emerged, as did those prominent in A-Level statistics. However, we soon found ourselves grappling with names like Descartes—less commonly cited but foundational nonetheless. Reflecting on these figures, Simon posed a thought-provoking question: what common traits unite all these mathematicians? The answer: predominantly male, European, and from the post-1600 era. This observation underscored a stark reality: our current curriculum largely lacks diversity, which can be limiting for students who don't see themselves represented in the field.
The discussion then shifted to the broader history of mathematics. Simon pointed out that our curriculum often neglects contributions from beyond Europe and our standard numerical system. In truth, the concepts we study today were utilised long before they gained prominence in European circles, across diverse cultures worldwide. To illustrate this, we played a game matching numbers with their translations from other languages. For instance, decoding "five men complete" led to the number 100, with each man representing 20 digits (5 x 20 = 100). Another intriguing example was the "elephant of figures," a representation clearly denoting 400 in its society's number system—a far cry from our decimal system.
The workshop concluded with an exploration of various numerical representations used across different cultures, such as Chinese stick numerals, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Aztec, Mayan, and Mesopotamian systems. This exercise illuminated the rich diversity in mathematical expression globally. It left me inspired, considering how to incorporate such activities into my teaching to foster numerical fluency and problem-solving skills. These initiatives not only enrich learning but also empower students to envision themselves as mathematicians, transcending the confines of our current curriculum.
In summary, the workshop was a compelling journey into the global heritage of mathematics, urging us to expand our perspectives and embrace the richness of mathematical traditions worldwide.
By Maths Scholar 2023/24
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