Week 22: History of Fractions

Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place.  

This week we can talk about a milestone that is truly worth celebrating—we are half-way through the school year.  Now what do you think about that?  And by “that” I mean the fraction one-half.  

We often think of cavemen counting rocks or sticks, but those are whole numbers.  So when did fractions first appear in mankind’s history?  The fraction that is familiar to us today with a numerator, horizontal bar, and denominator was first developed by an Arab mathematician from North Africa during the 12th century.  But Egyptians from as early as 1800 B.C. had their own notation for fractions that was based in hieroglyphic pictures.  

Fractions can be tedious, what with common denominators and reducing and all.  But would you honestly prefer a world without fractions?  After all, if we didn’t understand fractions, we’d be thinking that there was still a whole year of school left.  

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as North Africa and Egypt to find diversity.  There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your own school.  Find one today!