Teacher's Guide
Egyptian Multiplication
RETA Curriculum Guide
Egyptian Numerals: Duplatio (Multiplication)
Elementary Math
Designed by: Lisa Golden & Kathrine Graham
Introduction
This lesson introduces students to the process of multiplying using the hieroglyphic numerals of
ancient Egypt. They investigate the process using an interactive calculator and then do an online
activity.
Student Outcomes
Students will:
§ Understand the process of multiplying with hieroglyphic numerals.
§ Be aware that other cultures use different forms of calculating.
Content Area and Grade Levels
This lesson is appropriate for grades three to five. It is mathematical in content but could be
used in cultural studies.
Technology Usage
§
§
Computer
Internet Access
Resources
Online
§ Hieroglyphics (IQuest Museum) http://www.iquestmuseum.com/kids/main.html
§ Egypt People (Odyssey Online)
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/homepg.html
§ Scribes (Odyssey Online) http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/scribes.html
Off line
Numerals Charts (see attached)
Tasks (actions)
1. Students study multiplication charts to become familiar with process.
2. Students do online activity to practice the concept of multiplication and reinforce
memory.
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Egyptian Multiplication
3. Students go to online resources to learn more about hieroglyphics.
Presentation
Students may share what they have learned with others or create paper drawings of
multiplication problems.
Assessment
Self-assessment of correct answers in the online activity. Finished drawings or posters.
Extension
Students could demonstrate what they have learned to parents, visitors, or another class. Students
could report on ancient mathematical processes.
Content Standards and Benchmarks
Mathematics: K-4
1) Unifying concepts and processes
Students will understand and use mathematics in problem solving.
4) Unifying Concepts and Processes
Students will understand and use mathematical connections.
6) Number and Operation Concepts
Students will understand and use number systems and number theory.
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Teacher's Guide
Egyptian Multiplication
RETA Curriculum Guide
Egyptian Numerals: Duplatio (Multiplication)
Designed by Kathrine Graham & Lisa Golden
MISSION
In this adventure you will learn to use Egyptian hieroglyphic numerals to do multiplication!
Duplatio is a way to multiply using a lot of doubling. It’s easy to multiply by two, right?
If you multiply by two, and then by two again, you have multiplied by four. If you multiply that
answer by two, you’ve multiplied by eight! That’s how Duplatio works.
In Getting Ready, you'll find out more about duplatio.
In Your Adventure, you'll practice multiplication using duplatio on the special Egyptian
Calculator, and then write out a problem using duplatio on your own.
In Resources, you'll find charts of Egyptian numerals in case you don't remember them.
In Digging Deeper, you'll be asked to think about the plusses and minuses of the old Egyptian
way of showing numerals and using duplatio.
GETTING READY
First, you'll want to familiarize yourself with multiplication process by playing with the online
calculator.
Here's a simple example of how you could calculate 15 times 8:
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Teacher's Guide
Egyptian Multiplication
Now, what would you do if you wanted to multiply 15 by 12?
You could follow the same four steps above to get 8 groups of 15, but if you doubled those 8
groups, you'd get 16 groups. That's too many! You only want 12 groups.
Instead of doubling, you can add one of the lines you've already seen. Look at the following
example:
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Egyptian Multiplication
You'll try out several problems using our special Egyptian Calculator on the next page, Your
Adventure. For each line of your problem, you'll have two options: you can double the line you
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Egyptian Multiplication
have, or you can add one of the lines you already have on the screen. Try to solve the problems
in as few steps as possible!
Go to Your Adventure when you're ready to try out the Egyptian Calculator.
If you want to review your Egyptian numerals first, you can see the charts on the Resources
page.
YOUR ADVENTURE
Now it's time to try some duplatio yourself.
The Egyptian calculator will give you 6 problems to solve so that you can practice using
duplatio. For each step of the problem you have three choices:
1. Double the current line --OR-2. Add one of the previous lines to the current line
--OR-3. Erase the current line to try something different
Try to get the answer in as few steps as you can!
You will also see a Simplify button and an Expand button that you can use to see how your
answer can be regrouped and simplified.
You can try that here:
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Teacher's Guide
Words to Investigate
cartouche
hieroglyphic ideograms
papyrus
Pharaoh
scribe
Egyptian Multiplication
numeral
stylus
DIGGING DEEPER
Are there other ways to multiply numbers that are used in other cultures? Find out by doing some
exploring in the library and on the World Wide Web.
RESOURCES
Here are some sites to visit:
Hieroglyphics (IQuest Museum) http://www.iquestmuseum.com/kids/main.html
Egypt People (Odyssey Online) http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/homepg.html
Scribes (Odyssey Online) http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/scribes.html
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