The Incredible History of Math & the Pando Tree: More Than Just Dead White Dudes

Dan Henderson, Millington, MD, danielhenderson@cpm.org
Tony Jones, Mahomet, IL anthonyjones@cpm.org

How confident are you in your knowledge of the history of mathematics? Try your hand at answering the following without the help of Google.

  1. In which culture did fractions originate? 
  2. Why are there 360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes in an hour, and 12 hours in each half of the day?
  3. Both the words Algebra and algorithm originate from which culture?
  4. Evidence of special right triangles can be found dating back to what century and which culture? Hint: It’s not the dude with his name attached to them.
  5. Where and why did the game Mancala originate?
  6. Which ancient civilization had the most accurate astronomical observations, including the length of a year and the moon’s cycle?  
  7. There is evidence that Pascal’s Triangle was known for over 500 years before Pascal was born. In which century and which culture was this evidence found?
  8. The number series 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 … are known today as the Fibonacci numbers. But, where did they originate? Hint: Not with the dude from Pisa.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Much of mathematics was born out of a desire to quantify, understand, and predict the world around us. It has a fascinating and incredible history that includes thousands of years and dozens of different cultures. Think of mathematics as the intellectual version of the Pando Tree, also known as the trembling giant, in southern Utah. It is a clonal colony of an individual male quaking aspen. It is determined to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers and assumed to have one massive underground root system. Similarly, the roots of mathematics may stretch deep and wide, but they are all part of the same system.

Unfortunately, very few of our students know the cultural background where many of our mathematical concepts originated. How many of our students have heard of the stories of the incredible accuracy and efficacy of mathematics from thousands of years ago? How many of our students, particularly students of color, have been able to identify with this rich history?

The recent release of the movie Bill and Ted Face the Music harkens back to our younger days and the original release when Bill and Ted’s history project was full of a bunch of “dead, white dudes.”  If you have paid attention to mathematics and its history as taught in the United States, you have undoubtedly heard the names of Pythagoras, Euclid, Pascal, Fibonacci, Leibnitz, Euler and a plethora of others. Do you notice what all these mathematicians have in common? They all have a common cultural background, or in the words of Bill and Ted, they are a bunch of “dead, white dudes.”

Yet, the history of our mathematics is far more diverse and multicultural than what many of us have been led to believe. Sunil Singh, author, blogger, and editor of Q.E.D, writes that mathematics “is rich and complex.” To help students feel a sense of inclusion in the mathematics within our classrooms, they must be able to see themselves in the story. Telling the true, historical context of mathematics is a crucial piece that is often missing. Singh states it this way: “much of its roots [have been] hidden, ignored, and marginalized.” (Singh, 2020).

When we capitalize on the opportunity to talk, discuss, and interject these histories within our classrooms, we open up potential spaces for connection, belonging, identity, and self-actualization for our students. This necessitates that we be intentional in creating those opportunities. Take time to highlight a mathematical concept or a specific mathematician once a week, perhaps as you begin the week. Seek specific, explicit connections between the math in a lesson and the history of that concept. Assign a research project where students read, research, and report on specific mathematical concepts through the ages. There are a multitude of ways to do this without losing valuable class time while also making your class more culturally responsive as you share this rich history.

There is an entire history of mathematics outside of San Dimas*. And “dead, white dudes” represent merely a portion of that history. We owe it to ourselves and our students to share a truly global understanding of the entire scope of mathematics through the ages.


For more on the amazing history of mathematics, here are a few resources to get you started:

  • The Story of Mathematics
  • The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics (Third Edition) by George Gheverghese Joseph
  • African Mathematics: History, Textbook and Classroom Lessons by Robin Walker and John Matthews.
  • Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers by Eric (Rico) Gutstein.
  • High School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice by Robert Q. Berry, et al.

*San Dimas: home to Bill and Ted.

References: 

Singh, S. (2020, June 1). 10 Questions to Begin Decolonizing Mathematics In Your Classroom. Medium. Retrieved from 10 Questions To Begin Decolonizing Mathematics In Your Classroom.

Answers to the quiz:

  1. Ancient Egypt, around 1800 BCE, developed the system we use for fractions. The Egyptians developed their system using unit fractions.
  2. The Babylonians borrowed from the ancient Sumerians, who used the sexagesimal number system (base 60). This may have been due to the rotation of the earth around the sun in about 360 days. 60 and 12 are both divisible by more numbers than 10 and 100.
  3. The word Algebra originated from the Arabic word al-jabr, literally “the restoring of broken parts.” It was part of the title of the 9th century book by the Persian mathematician and astronomer al Khwarizimi. Interestingly enough, it is the name of the man who invented the system of balancing equations that is the namesake for the procedures we use to solve mathematical problems.
  4. Historians of Mesopotamian mathematics have concluded that the Pythagorean rule was in widespread use during the Old Babylonian period (20th to 16th centuries BCE), over a thousand years before Pythagoras was born.
  5. Mancala is so old its precise origins are unknown, but the most reliable evidence exists for Mancala having been played 3,600 years ago in Ancient Sudan or Ghana. It has been found in some ancient temples, so there may have been some spiritual ritual associated with this game.
  6. The ancient Mayans in the first century BCE had calculations that were far more accurate than any in Europe into the 20th century.  Their math produced 365.242 days for a calendar year and 29.5308 days for the lunar cycle.  These are almost identical to the computer-generated numbers we know today.
  7. Yang Hui’s triangle was developed by Jia Xian in the 12th century in China.
  8. This sequence can be found in Sanskrit poetry. Examining how different kinds of poems can be made with long (guru) and short (laghu) vowels, the “Fibonacci” numbers appear here long before Fibonacci was born. The work can be traced back to Pingala around 200 to 300 CE.

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Algebra Tiles Session

  • Used throughout CPM middle and high school courses
  • Concrete, geometric representation of algebraic concepts.
  • Two-hour virtual session,
  •  Learn how students build their conceptual understanding of simplifying algebraic expressions
  • Solving equations using these tools.  
  • Determining perimeter,
  • Combining like terms,
  • Comparing expressions,
  • Solving equations
  • Use an area model to multiply polynomials,
  • Factor quadratics and other polynomials, and
  • Complete the square.
  • Support the transition from a concrete (manipulative) representation to an abstract model of mathematics..

Foundations for Implementation

This professional learning is designed for teachers as they begin their implementation of CPM. This series contains multiple components and is grounded in multiple active experiences delivered over the first year. This learning experience will encourage teachers to adjust their instructional practices, expand their content knowledge, and challenge their beliefs about teaching and learning. Teachers and leaders will gain first-hand experience with CPM with emphasis on what they will be teaching. Throughout this series educators will experience the mathematics, consider instructional practices, and learn about the classroom environment necessary for a successful implementation of CPM curriculum resources.

Page 2 of the Professional Learning Progression (PDF) describes all of the components of this learning event and the additional support available. Teachers new to a course, but have previously attended Foundations for Implementation, can choose to engage in the course Content Modules in the Professional Learning Portal rather than attending the entire series of learning events again.

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Building on Instructional Practice Series

The Building on Instructional Practice Series consists of three different events – Building on Discourse, Building on Assessment, Building on Equity – that are designed for teachers with a minimum of one year of experience teaching with CPM instructional materials and who have completed the Foundations for Implementation Series.

Building on Equity

In Building on Equity, participants will learn how to include equitable practices in their classroom and support traditionally underserved students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Essential questions include: How do I shift dependent learners into independent learners? How does my own math identity and cultural background impact my classroom? The focus of day one is equitable classroom culture. Participants will reflect on how their math identity and mindsets impact student learning. They will begin working on a plan for Chapter 1 that creates an equitable classroom culture. The focus of day two and three is implementing equitable tasks. Participants will develop their use of the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Meaningful Mathematical Discussions and curate strategies for supporting all students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Participants will use an equity lens to reflect on and revise their Chapter 1 lesson plans.

Building on Assessment

In Building on Assessment, participants will apply assessment research and develop methods to provide feedback to students and inform equitable assessment decisions. On day one, participants will align assessment practices with learning progressions and the principle of mastery over time as well as write assessment items. During day two, participants will develop rubrics, explore alternate types of assessment, and plan for implementation that supports student ownership. On the third day, participants will develop strategies to monitor progress and provide evidence of proficiency with identified mathematics content and practices. Participants will develop assessment action plans that will encourage continued collaboration within their learning community.

Building on Discourse

In Building on Discourse, participants will improve their ability to facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse. This learning experience will encourage participants to adjust their instructional practices in the areas of sharing math authority, developing independent learners, and the creation of equitable classroom environments. Participants will plan for student learning by using teaching practices such as posing purposeful questioning, supporting productive struggle, and facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse. In doing so, participants learn to support students collaboratively engaged with rich tasks with all elements of the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices incorporated through intentional and reflective planning.