> I also think it's a lot easier to multiply 146 by 69 by 20 than it
> would be to multiply CXLVI by LXIX by XX. Place notation and the
> concept of zero were revolutionary innovations.
Quote #21 One Of The Main Causes Of The Fall Of The Roman Empire Was That, Lacking Zero, They Had No Way To Indicate Successful Termination Of Their C Programs.
More serious: The old Greek had no grasp of real or even rational numbers (I know the mathematical name for these bodies in German, but my favourite translator fails me with this. I hope you get me: Non-integers, non-whole numbers, fractions) Still, these mathematical extremely inventive philosophers of that time did know of Pythagoras' theorem (of course!) and I think it was Archimedes who calculated PI to be between 22/7 (3,142857142857143) and 222/71 or some such. But, to my knowledge, Archimedes was no shepherd, and I do not even know, whether his skill could compete with a feat "assess herd". I would rather guess: NO!
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