Similarities and Differences of Mathematical Systems

Mathematical systems from different cultures were of course different, but they were generally used for measuring: lengths/widths/heights, and time. Some cultures, like the ancient Greeks, were more advanced, and they dove deeper into complicated equations and formulas, such as the Greek mathematician Pythagoras. Cultures used symbols and ideas that made sense to their surroundings: for example, Base 10 comes from the ten digits (fingers) that humans have. Some cultures were more superstitious than others. The Pythagoreans thought that 4 and 10 were numbers to celebrate, especially 10, because it was the "object of a sacred oath." Cultures that lived by the sea might have used seashells for their units, for counting and currency, and their representations (symbols) might look like different shapes of shells. Cultures that lived by the mountains might have symbols that looked like mountains, for example, ^/\^. Almost all groups had some level of mathematic discovery, but some had more advanced ideas than others.