Ethnomathematics from Arabic Tradition

Assalamu’alaykum wr.wb.

One week ago, Mr. Marsigit teach us about Ethnomathematics. Do you still remember? Now, I will reflect a little bit about that.

Ethnomathematics is the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture. It can be related with ‘mathematics which pratices among the ethnicity group’. I think that is very interesting. Besides we learn about mathematics that can make us dizzy and boring, but our brains healed with the story of interesting cultural and sometimes weird. The goal of ethnomathematics is to contribute both to the understanding of culture and the understanding of mathematics, and mainly to lead to an appreciation of the connections between the two.

Talk about it, I read an interesting article about the cultural of mathematics that found by Muhammad ibnu Musa Al Khwarizmi in his book Al-Jam’wal tafriq bi hisab al-Hind. In this book is described about the simple arithmetic algorithm and an explanation of the numbers. The unique side of this book is, he wrote in his book the mathematical symbols with words. For example, when writing the statement 1 + 2, Al-Khwarizmi wrote the words,like 1 plus 2. It is also for other symbols such as "-", ":", "x", "=", he replaced it with the word "less", "for", "time", "equals". In other his book, Al Khawarizmi also write the mathematic equations with words. This case is influenced by the tradition of Arabian people who loved to composed and rhetoric. Thus, in any mathematical problems intervened culture become so incredibly powerful. Therefore, this case makes the Arab-Islamic mathematician called verbal mathematician. Because like it says anything with words.

Based to their tradition, Arabian people says that make mathematics becomes scary is the abstracness of mathematics. The students think that mathematic is a lessons to certain creatures that exist in the other dimension. Symbols can make mathematics far from the real world. Another goal made ​​verbal communication is not so impressed mathematics lessons in another world with different languages​​. But mathematics is a lessons that could be understood by the language itself.

Ok, I guess that is a little bit about the ethnic which influences the practices of mathematics, Ethnomathematics from Arabic tradition.

Thank you and wassalamu’alaykum wr.wb.

Resources : http://riyanfajri.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/belajar-matematika-ala-matematikawan-arab-islam-bagian-2-selesai/