Si.427 - one of the oldest and most complete examples of applied geometry from the ancient world

[@danieljackson654]

Extremely important research on so many levels. Thank you for your work and posting this for all to see. Bravo

[@yoursoulisforever]

Brilliant and fascinating. Thank you for sharing your work!

[@blackeyedlily]

I came here because this was covered on the PreHistory Guys channel and they referenced your video.

[@martyheresniak5203]

As did I.

[@GavinMCox]

Brilliant research and thank you so much for the upload Dr. Mansfield. Having been a land surveyor myself, I am wondering what the relationship is between the surveyor, the clay tablet, and the land? Did he do his mathematical working out on the clay first, then set out the survey on the ground, with rod, rope (and wooden pegs in the ground?) Or did he set out his survey on the ground first and record it on the clay? Or, as with modern surveyors, we make a draft paper plan then take it back to the land and check the draft against the actual land and make modifications to produce a final plan? It would be interesting to know. It would be a fascinating exercise to get some practising land surveyors to actually do a similar survey using Babylonian methods, it might resolve the enigmas still left on the tablet.

[@danielfmansfield]

Thanks Gavin, I believe the first thing the surveyor did was lay down a Pythagorean triple along the boundary and extend its sides to form perpendicular lines. Subsequent perpendicular lines could have been made by inserting new Pythagorean triples, or by measuring equal distances along parallel lines. I believe the tablet itself is a record of this process. A study of other cadastral tablets from this period will hopefully clarify some of these issues. I agree it would be an interesting exercise to actually perform such a subdivision and it might well give us further insight into the problems they faced at the time.

[@GavinMCox]

@@danielfmansfield Brilliant, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question, most appreciated!

[@patriciafigueiredo4939]

Este vídeo é excelente

[@jorgeterner]

so good, thx for sharing 😁😁👍👍👍👍

[@BlookbugIV]

I’m just after watching a video about this tablet but this was infinitely more illuminating, thank you.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

Totally worth is for the moment at 3:20 "the surveyor who made this plan, however, ... nailed it!"

[@cholst1]

So when the ancients said that pythagoras (and all the other "sages") honed their craft in the east and in egypt, they werent lying. ;)

[@michielkarskens2284]

Thank you for posting this video, Daniel! I missed this explanation in the Foundations of Science article. I am not completely there yet, but it defenitaly brings me closer to understanding. Did scaling play a role in the construction of Si.427? And what about the enigma on the reverse 25.29?

[@danielfmansfield]

I believe that scaling would have played a role in Si.427. This is more clearly seen in educational tablets (specifically, YBC 8633 and MS 3971). This video only seeks to establish that Pythagorean triples were used in practice. I've given up on trying to understand the numbers on the reverse 25:29.

[@MrGerryodonothing]

Are you familiar with Carl Munck's work and if so have you ever had a go at deriving why there is 360 degrees in a circle? is mise le meas. 22.4 can also be seen as the length of an axis in inches or the orbital period of Venus as crops up on ancient stones here in éire.

[@samisiddiqi5411]

Oh I saw you with your collaboration with Wildberger!! Will you two be doing any further ones?

[@sunroad7228]

Once, Pythagoras has been a war prisoner in Babylon - according to many historians. Mansfield is encouraged to expand on those historical traces that suggest Calculus has also been known to Babylonians et al. How sophisticated and advanced Science has matured 1000s of yours ago - is an evidence that the age of fossil fuels has actually dragged humanity backward in Science, not the opposite. The era of our Western Civilisation is likely the worse draught in humans' progression - and that can be attributed to fossil fuels being traded under the doctrine of what's called 'supply and demand' - not on the basis the fuels are actually finite. Wailing.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

Great work in getting us away from a Eurocentric view of history. I'm glad you're enjoying the process. I'm here because one of your students said you're a great lecturer (on the back of the conversation in @Anton Petrov's video of 27 Aug 21Z). From the looks of it (the number of channels talking about it) your findings are super exciting to all. Nicely done all round.

[@danielfmansfield]

Thanks Valerie. I'm glad to hear that my students are still out there, learning mathematics long after our classes have finished.

[@BlookbugIV]

What has eurocetrism to do with the study of ancient Babylon?

[@YawnGod]

It's strange, because how could one know if the survey was actually done correctly on the land itself? C'est non un pipe.

[@danielfmansfield]

Unfortunately we have no information about the execution of the plan. But it is the plan itself that is interesting, especially compared to plans from the preceding period.

[@Mesopotamia_IR]

It contains a symbol for a specific land

[@ValeriePallaoro]

Would you like to elaborate on that? You imply (1) you know ancient Babylonian and (2) you've seen the tablet and (3) this means something extra not covered by the author of the video.

[@Mesopotamia_IR]

@@ValeriePallaoro The symbol means property rights over a specific land area

[@damnyankeesdaughter5427]

Cuneiform?

[@walt3223]

Base 10 or is it base 60???

[@Stormy_Knight]

They used base 60 - 60 can be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 (kind of), 10, 12, 15, 20, 30

[@Ewa-z3t]

o

[@pweddy1]

Ask a contractor how he Frames a house. It's kind of absurd to say any culture that created square structures didn't know math.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

To be fair though before there was math there was things done with out math. Math is for future planning, or recording, or design. You can very well make a house by the old build a room and add other rooms to it when you have time, need, or extra children. That doesn't require math at all. Stop being obtuse and put yourself in the mind of a first timer, after all you already start with 'contractor', 'frame' and 'house' which shows you can not even imagine life before the now. Self aggrandisement ill becomes you. Get off your high horse.