Mathematics in a Sample of Cultures

Culture impacts nearly every aspect of life, creating a rich variety of customs, manners, and traditions across the globe. However, throughout humanity, certain traits seem almost universal.

Mathematics in a Sample of Cultures explores one such phenomena, delving into separate, yet uncannily similar, mathematical systems from a number of ancient cultures. From counting to calculation, this text explains different cultures’ methods of communicating numerical information, drawing connections across tribes and nations despite geological location and lack of communication. By examining the different systematic ways ancient peoples viewed everything from counting to relationships, the text proposes that mathematics itself transcends culture and is innate to human beings.

Mathematics in a Sample of Cultures:

• demonstrates similar mathematical methods across a number of cultures, for example, the common use of place value.
• provides helpful features such as bold key terms, end-of-chapter exercises, and detailed mathematical definitions and proofs.
• includes a variety of tables and figures that make abstract concepts visual.
• features two NEW chapters in the Second Edition: Kinship Systems in Australia and the Republic of Vanuatu; and Number Systems, which contains images and charts demonstrating unfamiliar methods of representing numbers to aid student comprehension.