Ref: https://fermatslibrary.com/p/06445717

This is such an intriguing paper on the history of computing, hence mathematics. I highly recommend reading it yourself.

Few notes from the paper:

  • Question: How is computer science connected with the human history further beyond the developments in the last century?
  • Base 60 system instead of Base 10 for mathematics.
  • Pergamonmusuem in Berlin houses a part of one of the clay tablets from Mesopotamia. I would have liked to see it but the museum is closed for renovations (for 14 years). So I guess I need to wait a bit longer.
  • Babylonian procedures are genuine algorithms. “This is the procedure.”
  • Neither conditionals not iterations were used in the procedures. Almost everything was “known” - via lookup tables, or some algebra.
  • Excellent examples that remind me of my middle school algebra. Just to wonder the advancements we have made in terms of technical sophistication.
  • Inakibit-Anu was the first man in history to solve a computational problem that takes longer than 1 second of time on a modern electronic computer.
  • Euclid’s Algorithm is one of the oldest algorithms. I need to read more about it. However, I remember implementing it as part of Advent of Code 2023 challenges.