Mesopotamian rhetorical and syncopated algebra

Trying to understand the form of algebra used by the Babylonians was very difficult for me. It reminded me of brain teasers I’ll run into on the internet sometimes, where I must read the sentence 10 times over to even begin to make sense out of it. During the reading, I found myself trying to convert the problems into algebraic problems using all the modern symbols we have now. It felt like the only way I was able to process the information I was reading. It makes me think about how in class it was mentioned that rhetorical algebra was seen as the easiest form of algebra for the Babylonians, and that the other two forms were more challenging. For me, I feel like the difficulty scale works in the other direction, where I feel I need the algebraic tools I’ve learnt to decipher these sorts of problems. It makes me wonder if I had learnt rhetorical algebra before learning about the tools I have now, which I would find more intuitive. 

I find this is a great example of how math does not need to be abstract to the extent we see it taught today. These word problems show us how we can use math to engage with concepts that are can be tangible and relevant to societal needs (or students’ lives in our case). Further, it shows that there are a lot of unique ways of approaching one problem, and I believe that these ways of solving directly relates to students’ strengths and their ways of understanding of math concepts. I would like to bring these sort of word problems into my own teaching, and especially emphasize it when introducing a new concept, as a way to motivate student learning. I think finding ways to motivate math topics will hopefully give students who feel less connected to math an opportunity to understand and appreciate why the math we are learning has purpose and use in our lives and communities.


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