Page 50 - index

2024 ‫מועד אביב‬ - 49 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) Medieval Italian scholar Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170-1240) ranks among the
foremost mathematicians of all time. One of his most significant contributions to the
field of mathematics was the dissemination of the Hindu-Arabic number system, based
on the digits zero to nine (0-9), which is used all over the world today.

(5) Fibonacci first encountered Hindu-Arabic numerals when, as a child, he spent
several years in North Africa with his family. Years later, he traveled widely in the
Mediterranean world, delving further into the Hindu-Arabic number system and
discovering its advantages over the Roman number system then in use in Europe. In
1202, after returning to his native Pisa, he published the Liber abaci (Book of

(10) Calculation), the first work to introduce Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe. Fibonacci's
text demonstrated the usefulness of these numbers for practical, everyday arithmetic
purposes such as money changing and the conversion of weights and measures. The
book, which also discusses subjects such as geometry, algebra, and theoretical
mathematics, drew the attention of leading scholars throughout Europe.

(15) Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who was deeply interested in the arts and
sciences, found the Liber abaci intriguing and asked to meet its author. For several
years afterward, Fibonacci corresponded with the emperor and court scholars, exploring
mathematical problems and their solutions. When Fibonacci published his most
innovative work, the Liber quadratorum (Book of Square Numbers) in 1225, he

(20) dedicated it to the emperor. Although the Liber quadratorum was Fibonacci's most
sophisticated achievement and constituted a major contribution to the field of
mathematics, the Liber abaci is broader in scope and was ultimately a more influential
work.

Questions

18. According to the text, the Hindu-Arabic number system -

(1) is related to the Roman number system
(2) uses ten different digits
(3) was actually developed by Europeans
(4) is no longer in use

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬