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European evolution, train tales and the history of mathematics

The David McWilliams Podcast

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The Evolution of Mathematics

We have no evidence of mathematics until 5,000 years ago. But we were gradually moving towards one of the biggest inventions that humans have ever come up with - agriculture. Once you don't have zero, you can't conceive of really big numbers. The Egyptians are beginning to solve equations because they're obsessed with geometry. And then Arabs invade New York and start using zero as a place for negative numbers. Everything comes from China: money, guns, watches, fireworks, everything.

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