Book on Numbers and Computation

The Suan Shu Shuu (Chinese算数 书, arithmetic and number book ' ) is the earliest Chinese text on mathematics. The text was written in the early Western Han Dynasty in the period 202-186 BC on bamboo strips (Chinese竹简). His discovery wrote the history of Chinese mathematics new, the text but about 300 years older than the "Nine chapters of arithmetic " (Chinese九章 算术).

Discovery and publication

The text has been with others in grave M247 near Zhangjiashan张家 山, Jiangling District, Hubei in 1984 found on a burial site and excavated. The grave belonged to an anonymous official of the early Western Han Dynasty. Apart from the Suan Shu Shu total of 1200 bamboo strips described with ink have been found which were tied together by three strings. However, they were rotted over the years and the rods become confused. In meticulous work Chinese scientists used this in 17 years of working together again, and in 2000 an edition in abbreviation was first published in the journal Wenwu文物.

Form and content

In addition to other texts on the bamboo sticks found the Suan Shu Shu contains 200 strips of bamboo have been preserved from those 180. The 7,000 -character text is undated and anonymous and written in the lishu. On each strip are 3 to 36 characters. Below some bamboo joints is the character "王Wáng " or " Yáng杨"; standing on some full strip " Wang has tested it " (Chinese王 已 雠, Pinyin Wáng yǐ Chou ), " Yang has examined it " (Chinese杨 已 雠, Pinyin Yáng yǐchóu ). This means that possibly two with surname Wang and Yang corrected this text both errors as have also copied. 69 math problems are the core content of the Suan Shu Shu, the means of question, answer and final method ( shu术) are constructed. They include the following problems: basic arithmetic, fraction arithmetic, Antiproportionalität (inverse proportionality ), factorization, sequences and series, in particular interest rate calculations and their troubleshooting, conversions between units of measure, Regula falsi method, calculation of volume of different body relative dimensions of a square with an inscribed circle, calculation of the unknown side of a rectangle. All calculations for circumference and area of ​​circle to be created with a rounding of the number π = 3. Only by Liu Xin ( 46 BC - 23 AD ), Zhang Heng ( 78-139 ), Liu Hui (3rd century AD), and was to Chongzhi ( 429-500 ) of an increased achieved accuracy of the number pi.

Before the discovery of the text, the oldest mathematical treatises that were Zhoubi suanjing Jiu Zhang Suan Shu and the (九章 算术), which were made around 100 BC. The discovery of the Suan Shu Shu 300 years was the history of mathematics in China an even earlier, earlier work. The comparative research on the Jiu Zhang Suan Shu and the Suan Shu Shu have passed since the discovery of a controversial field: Since both the linguistic style, the units of measurement and the mathematical problems and solutions in both texts are similar, the Suan Shu Shu as one of the templates considered for the edited by Zhang Jiu Zhang Suan Can张 仓Shu.

The Suan Shu Shu itself was translated by Christopher Cullen, Director of the Needham Institute, into English; a German version does not exist yet.