She has been reading since she was sensible. The Wang family in Taiyuan has been passed down for thousands of years and has profound family knowledge. The collection of books is even more than that of the imperial palace. Wang Ou is also a person who likes to read. She has read as many books as any great scholar in Hongxue.
The teachers who taught her were all famous officials in the world. From them, Wang Ou came to the conclusion that it is not difficult to dabble in a subject, but it is difficult to master a subject. Therefore, it is difficult to become knowledgeable.
Scholars are common, but masters who are proficient in one subject are rare.
But Li Mu's appearance made her shaken.
He is only seventeen years old.
Wang Ou has seen many seventeen-year-old boys. Among the powerful families, there is no one like Li Shimin who went to war in the world at the age of seventeen. Seventeen-year-old is the age for riding horses, hunting, and doing nothing. The Analects of Confucius has something to say.
, Standing at thirty. Being a saint is not just talk. At the age of thirty, it is already extremely difficult to have your own academic system and your own prestige.
But the seventeen-year-old Li Mu not only had unparalleled poetry and prose, but also invented the Zhenguan plow, horseshoes, printing, and a new brewing method...each of which is commendable. Now that he has shown his ability in arithmetic, is it possible that in this world
Is he really a genius?
Clear calculation has always been a profound knowledge in ancient times, and it is also one of the regular examination subjects of the imperial examination. There are provisions in "Tongdian Selection" that clear calculation, test "Nine Chapters", "Zhang Qiu Jian", "
"Xia Houyang", "Zhou Bi", and "Five Classics Suan" each have one item, and those who read ten and six will be passed; try "Records" and "Three Equal Numbers", and those who read ten and nine will be passed. Also try seven items of "Zhushu"
, "Collection of Ancients" three items, six out of ten are passed.
To put it simply, if you get 60% in the math test, you can go to high school. If you pass the math test, you will be promoted to the ninth grade. From then on, you will no longer be a commoner, but a person with an official status.
.
It seems very simple, but during the imperial examination, the number of people who clearly calculated and passed the examination was the least, because arithmetic is not like the classics and can have a concrete understanding. For example, when it comes to filial piety, everyone knows what filial piety is, even if
I am not filial and have no loyalty, but I also know what a filial and loyal person looks like. But arithmetic requires logic and even imagination, which was very difficult for the ancients.
In ancient mathematics, in addition to the naturally formed concepts of addition and subtraction, the concept of multiplication and division was formed relatively late. The Chinese concept of multiplication first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In "Xunzi", "Guanzi", "Huainan"
Sentences such as "three-nine-twenty-seven", "six-eight-eight-eight", "four-eight-thirty-two", "six-six-thirty-six" can be found in books such as "Zi" and "Warring States Policy". During the Han Dynasty,
Combining these sentences, the original "Nine-Yin Song" was formed, which is now the nine-nine multiplication table.
The concept of "division" was not put forward in general until Liu Hui's annotation of "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" during the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms.
The four arithmetic operations that later generations learned in primary school took the ancients thousands of years to summarize from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Three Kingdoms. Even so, the largest numbers used in ancient times were only 'ten thousand', and were usually between thousands and hundreds, even if they were so small
Numbers are also very troublesome to calculate. Therefore, only those who are good at arithmetic can become officials.
But today, after Wang Ou read Li Mu's Four Arithmetic Algorithms, he suddenly had a feeling in his heart. In the future, there may be a change in the subject of explicit calculation. Li Mu's Four Arithmetic Algorithms, although overall, did not surpass the "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic"
" framework, but the method he used was more than ten times simpler. "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" is a book that can only be understood by people with certain attainments in arithmetic. And Li Mu invented these symbols, even illiterate craftsmen, as long as someone can do it
He explains it and he can understand it.
If the Four Arithmetic Operations were popularized and the original test questions were tested again in the math department, there would probably be hundreds or even thousands of people who could pass the exam.
Wang Ou was amazed by the four arithmetic operations, and the solution of the 'Hundred Chicken Question' was beyond her imagination. The Hundred Chicken Question comes from "Qiu Jian Suan Jing", and its nature is somewhat similar to the modern "Goldbach Conjecture", "Qiu Jian Suan Suan"
The Northern Wei Dynasty mathematician Zhang Qiujian, the author of the Classic, thought of this problem, but he never gave a solution in his life, so he appended it to the end of the book so that future generations can answer it.
But later generations failed to live up to expectations. Zhen Luan, a mathematician of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and Li Chunfeng, who is now known as a "child prodigy", both annotated the "Qiu Jian Suan Jing", but neither gave an answer. Especially Li Chunfeng, although he is only 28 years old this year.
, but his achievements in the field of arithmetic have surpassed those of the ancients. When he was twenty-six years old, he re-edited and annotated the famous Ten Arithmetic Classics and used them as a model teaching material for the Imperial Academy of Arithmeticology. It can be said that people who study arithmetic now are
It comes from his family.
Li Mu blurted out a question that he couldn't even solve?
How on earth did he do it!
Wang Ou suddenly felt a sense of grievance in her heart. She felt wronged for herself, but also felt wronged for Zhang Qiujian, Zhen Luan, and Li Chunfeng. Why is it so easy for Li Mu to do things that others can't do after spending a lifetime of hard work? Oh my God.
So unfair!
But she still wanted to know how Li Mu calculated it. Wang Ou took a deep breath, threw away the branch in his hand, looked at Li Mu eagerly, and said: "Master Hou, this 'Hundred Chicken Question' is a calculation master from the Northern Wei Dynasty.
There is an unsolvable question in "Qiu Jian's Suan Jing" written by Zhang Qiu Jian. No one has been able to solve it for hundreds of years. Mr. Hou blurted out and gave three answers. Mr. Hou's profound arithmetic is amazing. Nujia Zhen
I really want to know how the Marquis calculated it, and I would like to ask the Marquis to give me some advice."
"ah?"
Li Mu was a little confused. Is the system of three-dimensional indefinite equations unsolvable in the Tang Dynasty? If you put it this way, any college student who traveled to the Tang Dynasty could become a master of arithmetic. But that’s not necessarily true. Most college students would
After he entered college, he squatted in his dormitory playing video games. Even if he was given a system of three-dimensional indefinite equations, he might not be able to solve it.
In fact, Li Mu has somewhat forgotten how to solve three-dimensional indefinite equations, but he is a programmer and has the C language instinct in his head. Although he does not have a computer, he can still calculate such a simple problem.
Wang Ou suddenly asked him about the solution, but he was stumped. He didn't know how to explain the C language to Wang Ou. As for the solution of the three-dimensional indefinite equation, he had to think about it carefully and smooth it out before he knew how to explain it.
I have no choice but to refuse for the time being.
Li Mu thought about it, cleared his throat, and said, "Is this solution... the most profound part of the algorithm I invented? It's like a craftsman's secret method. Do you... understand?"
"Ah?" Wang Ou was stunned for a moment, and then he immediately realized, yes, how could such a profound algorithm be taught casually? Wang Ou blushed for his idea, and at the same time he felt a little resentful, if Li Mu hadn't refused him all the time.
She, she wouldn't blurt it out so unthinkingly.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't ask."
Li Mu waved his hand and said: "It's not a big deal. I don't have any family background. I won't stop teaching you just because you are from the Wang family in Taiyuan. It's just that the algorithm for calculating this problem is very difficult. I can't say it for a while.
I don’t understand, I’ll explain it to you in detail another day when I have some free time.”
Wang Ou said quickly: "I would like to thank the Marquis first."
Li Mu thought for a while and asked: "You just said that this Hundred Chicken Question has not been solved for hundreds of years?"
Wang Ou nodded and said: "The algorithm invented by Mr. Hou is already far ahead of the ancients."
", you can't say that." Li Mu pretended to be modest, but felt a little proud in his heart, saying: "In this case, I should make these four algorithms public, so that people in the world will no longer worry about arithmetic... Baijiwen is just right.
If you can prove my algorithm, well, I have decided to publish the answer to the Hundred Chicken Questions and the four algorithms in Datang Daily tomorrow!" Li Mu couldn't help laughing: "After tomorrow, won't I belong to Datang?
Are you a master of arithmetic? Hahaha..."
Wang Ou looked at Li Mu's proud look and felt helpless and sullen. She really wanted to see him deflate, but why did he always surprise everyone? Suddenly she remembered the new style Li Mu had said that day.
Regarding the gouache thing, I secretly thought, maybe he can really do it!
We wasted a lot of time talking about arithmetic. Seeing that the sun was setting to the west, Wang Ou said that he would not visit today. Li Mu also wanted to go home early, so he took Wang Ou back to Fangmen via the same route, and they got on their horses and went home.
When Li Mu returned home, his excitement was still not over, so he found paper and pen and wrote down the basic methods of the four arithmetic operations. He also wrote down the "Hundred Chicken Questions", but did not give the solution, but directly attached the three answers to
to the back.
After finishing writing, he ran to the printing room. Li Zhien was presiding over the typesetting of tomorrow's Datang Daily. When he saw Li Mu coming over, he put down the manuscript in his hand, jumped into his arms happily, and hugged his neck to play on the swing.
Li Mu pulled her off and said: "It's so rude in public... Stop making trouble, we have business." Li Mu called the craftsman in charge of engraving movable type over and said: "Old Bi, take a look at these symbols and carve them out.
It will be published with Datang Daily tomorrow."
Lao Bi took Li Mu's manuscript in his hand, looked at it, and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, these symbols are simple to draw and can be carved out in less than an hour."
"Very good. Old Bi, do your best. Your Majesty has given me the power to appoint officials below the sixth rank of the Ministry of Works. I have already sent an official document to the Ministry of Personnel and found an official position for you as a seventh-rank printing supervisor.
In a few days, everything will be tidied up in the craftsman's workshop, and you can move there with the people from our printing room. From now on, you will be an official of the Ministry of Industry, and you will have to study more deeply in printing."
When Lao Bi heard this, he was immediately stunned. It took him a long time to react, and he knelt down in front of Li Mu and said: "Master Hou, my little one's ancestors have been craftsmen for generations, how can he be an official? Mr. Hou is so flattering, little one
I'm grateful, but I'm worried that if I don't do it well, I'll lose face!"
Li Mu straightened his face and said: "The official document has been sent, and it cannot be taken back. Your Majesty attaches great importance to the printing supervisor. If you do not do it well, it will not be my face, but your own life. If you say this, I will
If you don’t want to hear this anymore, get to work quickly!”
Lao Bi was terrified, but had no choice but to comply.