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Encyclopedia ID 215

Egyptian Fractions and Doubling

Also known as Rhind papyrus problems

Egyptian Fractions and Doubling: photograph by unknown (c. 1550 BC scribe)
Photo: unknown (c. 1550 BC scribe), Public domain, source on Wikimedia Commons

Split loaves among workers using only unit fractions, and multiply by repeated doubling like a scribe.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Egypt.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Modern Heritage (1800 to today), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Africa: Nile and the Horn.

Sources

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