Arithmetic of Medieval Universities

This was truly fascinating to read. Some concepts in math can be difficult to relate to, especially those concepts that we may not be able to directly connect to parts of our everyday lives. This article provides insight and perspective into how people in Medieval societies thought about how education should be structured which we can compare to how we do it today. I was shocked to read that Plato believed the first 35 years of a man’s life should be based solely on education. No one stops learning, even after I graduate university I will read new books and watch videos on new subjects so we are always in a position to educate ourselves because of the vast information available at our fingertips. However, I cannot imagine being in school for 35 years. Plato breaks down the 35 years into different subject matter, but still, I’m happy to be graduating at the age of 22. The next thing I was shocked by, which is a consequence of the vast technological advancements we’ve made, is that a master’s degree during medieval times is common knowledge for a current day third grader. Finally, I was surprised to learn that the date for Easter was previously calculated by priests.