With nothing to do, I took charcoal and found a stone slab to start studying new knowledge.
Compared with the language and characters used in daily life communication, numbers are also extremely important symbols for human survival.
It can be said that without mathematics, human civilization will not be able to develop.
Although mathematics is of little use in this primitive era, there is definitely a difference between having it and not having it.
There are less than fifty people in this small tribe where I am now, but no one can count them clearly. This has to be said to be sad.
Therefore, Xu Chen decided to invent a numerical symbol and slowly teach these primitive people to learn simple counting and calculation. This would be more conducive to communication and make life more convenient.
However, numbers are advanced creative symbols that are neither onomatopoeic nor pictographic. It is difficult to design them so that a group of primitive people can easily learn and accept them.
Xu Chen didn't want to teach Arabic numerals directly, because it was too abstract. For this group of primitive people, it was almost like a heavenly book. Without strong learning and creative thinking, it was completely incomprehensible.
So he thought about it over and over again, and finally the idea of mahjong came to his mind.
Right now, we don’t need too complicated mathematics. We just need to design a simple number symbol that is easy for primitive people to accept and understand, and learn the simplest counting.
The patterns on mahjong are the easiest to understand and accept.
So he wrote and scratched on the slate. After constant design and research, he gradually came up with a more mature idea.
That is to take the cake pattern on the mahjong and connect all the points with lines to form a simple shape that can be easily recognized and understood.
For example, a pie represents the number one, and the corresponding symbol i is like a finger.
The two-cake pattern represents the number two, corresponding to the symbol v, like two fingers spread out.
Three circles form a triangle, representing the number three and corresponding to the symbol △.
The four-pie pattern represents the number four, represented by z.
The five-cake pattern is the number five, represented by x.
Six loaves represents the number six, so it is represented by the Arabic numeral 6, because it is easy to understand by connecting it with a line.
The seven-cake pattern represents the number seven, corresponding to the symbol e.
Eight cakes represent the number eight, which corresponds to the Arabic numeral 8, which is equivalent to two z-characters crossed in reverse, and is also easy to understand.
The number nine represented by nine loaves is represented by m.
As for zero, he thought about it and decided to use a circle to represent it. Although it is difficult to explain, some things do not need to be explained clearly. After all, cramming education is also a part of human evolution.
This set of symbols is very different from the Arabic numerals that Xu Chen is familiar with, but it is closer to hieroglyphics and therefore more in line with the cognitive level of a group of primitive people about the world.
Like any language, pronunciation and writing will not affect human communication. What is important is that it needs to form a mature system.
Just like a foreign language, once you learn it, you can use it skillfully without affecting communication and use at all.
After getting all the basic numerical symbols, Xu Chen took a sharp stone and walked to the stone wall where he wrote the diary, began to carve mahjong, and then carved the corresponding numerical symbols on the bottom.
Although the nose and face were bruised and swollen from the beating just now, a group of children saw that Xu Chen was drawing again, so they gathered around to watch again.
Ye came and went following a group of women in their busy leisure time, and would also run by to take a look. Ye was full of strong interest in these mysterious symbols Xu Chen left on the stone wall, and after getting to know these hieroglyphs, Ye
, and he also has more and more awe and respect for Xu Chen.
These mysterious characters seemed to have a magical power that deeply attracted her and made her want to learn and use them.
"One~"
Xu Chen raised a finger and pointed at the symbol i written under a circle.
"One~"
A group of children all chanted along, but there was also a very clear squeaking sound mixed in.
When Xu Chen turned around, a group of children quickly pointed at Ye, and one of them even put a stick in his hand.
Ye quickly covered his butt with both hands, his face full of shame.
Amidst the insistent shouts of a group of children, Xu Chen spanked her on the butt moderately, then pointed to the number one.
"one."
"One...Gah!" Ye held it in for a long time, and finally dragged out a final sound.
"Quack, quack, quack~" A group of children burst into laughter and screamed strangely.
Xu Chen held his forehead and shook his head, but seeing the shameful look on Ye's face, he didn't hit him again, and at the same time he felt a little happy in his heart.
One ga is better than one ku.
Otherwise, a group of male and female savages would talk about each other from time to time when communicating, which would make him even more uncomfortable.
For half the afternoon, Xu Chen, who had nothing to do, taught a group of children to count the mahjong cakes on their fingers and stone walls, while also reading the newly created number symbols.
But for this group of primitive savages, abstract counting is far more difficult than finding food in the woods.
Therefore, until the evening when the mother came back with a group of women, except for Ye, the most children in the group could only count to five.
This made Xu Chen want to cry very much.
This group of children should be between three and seven years old, which is the best stage of enlightenment.
In order to help a group of children learn faster, after dinner, Xu Chen got a basket of milk fruits and asked the children to count them by themselves. They could take as many as they could.
This game with food temptations greatly increased the children's interest. No matter how big or small, they were very enthusiastic. They sat in a row and started counting the milk fruits in front of them.
So when the sun completely set and the adults were urging them to go to bed, except for the two youngest children, the rest counted one or two numbers, and then they all hugged their own milk fruit with excited faces and followed reluctantly.
The adults have gone to sleep.
But even after entering the cave and lying down in his straw nest, he was still groping for milk fruits secretly and counting them secretly, because as long as he counted enough, he could get more milk fruits tomorrow.
The food of the ethnic group is limited. After eating two meals a day, basically no more food will be distributed. If you want to eat, you can only go out and find it for yourself. You are not allowed to steal the food reserves.
Although the children are greedy, they have developed the habit of living in groups since they were young and are familiar with this food distribution system. Children aged five or six have to follow the adults to help with work in caves or nearby, while for girls over ten years old,
Children have to follow women to the wild to collect food, while boys have to follow men down the mountains to learn to hunt.
Recently, due to Xu Chen's inventions and innovations, the food harvest has doubled. The women are too busy, so a group of children are left alone and all run around with Xu Chen.
Mother Ba and a group of women seemed to acquiesce to this situation, and also gave Xu Chen special treatment. They distributed a lot more food every day, and did not control him when he occasionally distributed food to the children.
After all, there is plenty of food collected this year.
As for food like milk fruit, if Xu Chen hadn't invented the rattan basket, it would have been impossible to get so many. Moreover, milk fruit is not a real food. Although it is delicious, it does not fill the stomach. The real food is those that contain a lot of starch.
rhizomes and seeds.
A group of children followed Xu Chen to eat delicious food and have fun. They didn't have to work every day, so they were naturally very happy. Therefore, even if they were beaten by Xu Chen every day and cried for father and mother, they were still hurt and happy.
Although counting and recognizing words is more difficult, the temptation of food is even greater.
…
If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools.
In the next few days, a group of men were still divided into two groups, one group went down the mountain to hunt, and the other group continued to make bows and arrows.
In order to increase the power of bows and arrows, these men were very barbaric in making them. They used harder wood and the arrow shafts were made of thicker and longer materials. In order to ensure the lethality, the arrows were made sharper.
Xu Chen could not teach them much, but he would occasionally observe and put forward some suggestions for improvement. For example, the bow body should not be too hard and should maintain sufficient toughness. The arrow should not be too heavy so that it can fly farther. The arrow must be
Maintaining a certain specific gravity will prevent the arrow from rolling over etc.
In addition, in order to reduce the weight of the bow and increase the strength of the bow, wood with good toughness but not enough strength can be tightly wrapped with animal bone horns and other materials with ropes to increase the strength and elasticity of the bow.
The development of any civilization is driven by the emergence of wise men who transcend ethnic groups.
From the ancient legends of the Chao clan, the Suiren clan, the Shennong clan, and the likes of Yu the Great who controlled floods, to the sages and sages of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, these are all the guides who lead mankind from barbarism to civilization.
Xu Chen's time travel was nothing more than a few flaps of a small butterfly's wings and the invention of a few simple tools, but it brought earth-shaking changes to the lives of this group of primitive people.
The emergence of bows and arrows will open up the long-range attack mode that mankind has dreamed of. Archers will become the most powerful warriors of mankind for a long time.
As several bows of different sizes, thicknesses, and lengths were made one after another, and many arrows were made, a group of men started an exciting and crazy practice mode in the woods in front of the cave while they were busy.
Dirty fur skirt, big furry hands, a ferocious face with gnashing teeth, and constant loud sounds, the big tree that usually grows peacefully has been destroyed one after another.
Every time a simple feathered arrow hits the target, there will be a burst of cheers and cheers.
As a technical director, Xu Chen will naturally observe the demonstrations during every training session.
However, his bow was completely incomparable in strength to the bows made by these savages.
The bows made by these barbarians are thick and hard. The center of the bow body is thicker than an egg, the bow string is thicker than the little finger, and the arrow shaft is thicker than the middle finger.
Rough, crude, and barbaric.
This is the unifying characteristic of these bows and arrows.
Xu Chen couldn't draw most of the bows.
Xu Chen, the hardest bow among them, couldn't pull it even with all his strength. Even Feng, the strongest one, could only barely pull it once or twice.
The effect of force is naturally powerful.
In front of such a strong bow, arrows seem too weak.
An arrowhead made of bone can be destroyed by one or two shots.
However, the more powerful the bow and arrow are, the more energy it consumes.
And if you want to hit the target, accuracy is more important than strength.
Injuring a beast is more in line with the elements of hunting in this era than being fatal with an arrow.
Maintaining sufficient physical strength is also the most important means to survive in the wild.
There are too many ferocious beasts and too many dangers in the wild. Only by staying alert and physically fit can you survive the dangers you encounter.
Therefore, during this kind of repeated shooting training, a group of men naturally chose the bows and arrows they thought were suitable without much guidance from Xu Chen.
However, the high-skilled hunting method of archery is not destined to be easy. Those with shooting talent can shoot accurately with simple guidance and training. For example, Feng, a talented hunter belonging to the tribe, is not only very powerful with javelins, but also with
His understanding of bow and arrow is also very strong. After just a few days of practice, he can easily hit a human-shaped arrow target thirty meters away.
But for a few hunters who don't have enough arm strength or understanding, bows and arrows can't exert much power in their hands. After practicing for several days, they still can't shoot 10 times, so these people can only become auxiliary personnel.
On the fifth day, a group of men finally decided to go down the mountain and have a big fight.
Although vegetarian food can satisfy one's hunger, it can only satisfy one's hunger. Only enough meat can ensure sufficient physical strength.
After not eating meat for several days, a group of savages felt like they were starting to lose weight.
Because after being divided into groups in the past few days, I basically came back empty-handed when going down the mountain to hunt. I only had snake, turtle, and fish meat occasionally. All of these meats had no oil or water, and some of them were so fishy that I felt like vomiting after eating too much.
If Xu Chen hadn't accidentally invented the spicy dipping sauce, no one would have eaten this vulgar and low-quality meat.
early morning.
The sky is filled with red clouds, indicating that there may be rain in the next few days.
More than a dozen men packed up their weapons and backpacks and set off.
There are five archers, seven spear throwers, and the remaining few are responsible for support and logistics.
Every archer has almost the same equipment as Xu Chen.
Wooden bow, quiver, rattan armor, bone knife, hair tied back with rope, face and body painted again.
Although it was just a simple cleaning and makeup, I suddenly had a refreshing feeling.
Amid the cheers of the women, children, old and weak who stayed behind in the cave, a group of men headed straight down the mountain with high spirits.
The weapons were replaced with cannons. They urgently needed to find prey to verify the power of this long-range weapon.