A NECESSIDADE DOS NÚMEROS
Autor: Profº Marcio Rocha | Publicado: 2013-01-01T20:11:00-03:00

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Com o surgimento da agricultura e da pecuária, nossos antepassados deixaram de ser nômades. Isso ocorreu por volta de 30 000 anos atrás. Com a criação de rebanhos, a duração de períodos de tempo (quantidade de dias entre duas luas cheias, por exemplo) e o número de membros que a família possui para determinar a quantidade de comida necessária à sua sobrevivência, houve a necessidade de criar mecanismos de contagem. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Para isso, era preciso criar símbolos que representassem essas quantidades. Mas, durante a história da humanidade, contar e registrar as quantidades por meios de símbolos nem sempre foram atividades simples. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Inicialmente, esses registros eram feitos de maneiras diversas, variando de acordo com o modo de usar do povo que o criou. Porém, uma característica era comum: a correspondência um a um. Conta-se que, para representar a quantidade de ovelhas de seu rebanho, o homem usava uma pedra para cada animal, formando, assim, um montinho de pedras que representava a quantidade de ovelhas que saiam para pastar durante o dia. Outras maneiras de fazer essas representações consistiam em riscos em pedras, ossos e pedaços de madeira, nós em cordas ou cipós, ou, ainda, associando os dedos das mãos e dos pés às quantidades. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; O tempo passou e as pessoas começaram a se organizar em grupos cada vez maiores (as aldeias), que ao longo do tempo se tornaram cidades. Trabalhando com quantidades cada vez maiores, houve a necessidade de aprimoramento dos métodos usados para a contagem e o registro desses valores, surgindo os primeiros símbolos usados na representação das quantidades e, consequentemente, os primeiros sistemas de numeração, com regras próprias, que variavam dependendo de qual civilização o criou. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Veja no quadro abaixo a representação de alguns símbolos e os respectivos sistemas de numeração ao qual pertencem.
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