Ancient Mesopotamian’s system of measurement: possible applications in mathematics and physics teaching

Abstract

The study of the ancient Mesopotamian units of measurement and mathematics provide several components that could be used for the teaching of physics, mathematics and history of science. By studying the known clay tablets, it is possible to learn their mathematics, how the art of teaching began, how the first numbers were represented and what were their purposes, as the ancient calculus of area, volume, weight, time and others and to learn the origin of other mathematical and scientific concepts. The circle with 360 degrees, watches with 12 divisions and the year made of 12 months are some examples of the influence of the Mesopotamian’s mathematics and system of measurement in our culture, this can be very interesting for students who have no interest in math and physics classes and even more interesting for students who already have interest in these areas. The purpose of this paper is to show some of the ancient Mesopotamian units of measurement and mathematics with their possible uses in education.