The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is a mathematical treatise written by Zhang Cang and Geng Shouchang in ancient China. It is the most important of the Ten Mathematical Classics and was compiled around the first century AD. Most of the versions that survive today are Liu Hui’s commentary on the Nine Chapters, written in 263, the fourth year of the Jingyuan era under Emperor Yuan of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art covers a wealth of material, summarizing mathematical achievements from the Warring States, Qin, and Han periods. It also made several distinctive contributions to mathematics: it was the earliest work to mention fractions and the first to record problems involving excess and deficit. Its chapter “Equations” was also the first in the history of world mathematics to explain negative numbers and the rules for adding and subtracting them. A comprehensive historical work, it was the world’s most concise and effective guide to applied mathematics at the time. Its appearance marked the formation of a complete system of mathematics in ancient China.
The string multiplies itself, the subtracted strand multiplies itself, and the remainder is divided by the square root, which is the length of the string! Who said that the ancient Chinese did not summarize the Pythagorean Theorem?
The string multiplies itself, the subtracted strand multiplies itself, and the remainder is divided by the square root, which is the length of the string! Who said that the ancient Chinese did not summarize the Pythagorean Theorem?