Comparative Study of Sand Drawings in Oceania and Africa

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Wang, Linbin, Ball, Rowena, Xu, Hongzhang
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Wang, Linbin
Ball, Rowena
Xu, Hongzhang
author_facet Wang, Linbin
Ball, Rowena
Xu, Hongzhang
contents People typically consider only European mathematics as orthodox, often intentionally or unintentionally overlooking the existence of mathematics from non-European societies. Inspired by Maria Ascher's two well-known papers on sand drawings in Oceania and Africa, this paper focuses on the strong link between modern mathematics and the mathematics behind the sand drawings. Beginning with a comparison of the geography, history, and the cultural context of sand drawings in Oceania and Africa, we will examine shared geometric features of European graph theory and Indigenous sand drawings, including continuity, cyclicity, and symmetry. The paper will also delve into the origin of graph theory, exploring whether the famous European mathematician Leonhard Euler, who published his solution to the Konigsberg bridge problem in 1736, was the true inventor of graph theory. The potential for incorporating sand drawings into the school curriculum is highlighted at the end. Overall, this paper aims to make readers realise the importance of ethnomathematics studies and appreciate the intelligence of Indigenous people.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_04798
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Comparative Study of Sand Drawings in Oceania and Africa
Wang, Linbin
Ball, Rowena
Xu, Hongzhang
History and Overview
People typically consider only European mathematics as orthodox, often intentionally or unintentionally overlooking the existence of mathematics from non-European societies. Inspired by Maria Ascher's two well-known papers on sand drawings in Oceania and Africa, this paper focuses on the strong link between modern mathematics and the mathematics behind the sand drawings. Beginning with a comparison of the geography, history, and the cultural context of sand drawings in Oceania and Africa, we will examine shared geometric features of European graph theory and Indigenous sand drawings, including continuity, cyclicity, and symmetry. The paper will also delve into the origin of graph theory, exploring whether the famous European mathematician Leonhard Euler, who published his solution to the Konigsberg bridge problem in 1736, was the true inventor of graph theory. The potential for incorporating sand drawings into the school curriculum is highlighted at the end. Overall, this paper aims to make readers realise the importance of ethnomathematics studies and appreciate the intelligence of Indigenous people.
title Comparative Study of Sand Drawings in Oceania and Africa
topic History and Overview
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.04798