The needs of life and everyday practice determined the emergence of mathematical knowledge among the ancient Egyptians. In the third millennium BC, a state emerged in the Nile Valley. The work of his tax office would have been unthinkable without the ability of an extensive staff of scribes to solve at least the simplest arithmetic, and sometimes even more complex, algebraic and geometric problems. It was impossible to count livestock, determine the size of field plots, calculate taxes, and construct majestic buildings without certain mathematical skills. Originating in ancient times, Egyptian mathematics had a great influence on the development of mathematical science in neighboring countries, especially in Greece. The" father of history " Herodotus wrote: "I believe that geometry was invented there (in Egypt), and from there it came to Greece." 1 Archimedes spent many years of his life in Egypt, getting acquainted with the mathematical achievements of this country. In general, ancient Egyptian mathematics, although it was inferior to Babylonian mathematics in its development, nevertheless made a very significant contribution to the treasury of universal culture. Egyptian numerals were invented in ancient times, apparently simultaneously with the signs of hieroglyphic writing. These figures are quite simple. So, small vertical dashes were used to write numbers from one to nine. A sign resembling a shackle or horseshoe (shackles for cattle) was used to indicate ten. The image of a twisted rope served to record the concept of a hundred. The lotus stalk represented a thousand. A raised human finger corresponded to ten thousand. The image of a tadpole was a symbol of the hundred thousand. The figure of a squatting deity with his hands raised represented one million. The Egyptians used the decimal system of calculation, in which ten characters of the lowest row could be replaced by one sign of the next step. So, ten dashes corresponded to one ten sign. Ten tens could be ... Read more