Page:The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, Volume I.pdf/50

34 line used for 10 may be only the ordinary sign for 1 although in the case of hekat it is regarded as a ligature for ten dots or small circles. When there are ten-setat and unit setat the setat sign is placed over the number denoting units. Thus 36 setat in Problem 48 is written as an ordinary 3 and then a 6 with the setat sign over it, and 72 setat as an ordinary 7 and a 2 with the setat sign over it. Besides the peculiar signs for $1/undefined$, $1/undefined$, and $1/undefined$ setat we have a special sign for $1/undefined$ of a cubit-strip (Problems 54 and 55). Sometimes this is like the ordinary sign for $1/undefined$ and sometimes the same without the dot at the end.

In some of the area problems the scribe handles his units in a way that seems a little confusing. Thus to get the area of a rectangle he sometimes multiplies its length in cubits by its width in khet. This of course will give him the correct answer in cubit-strips.

The pyramid problems (56-60), which follow the problems on area, introduce a new unit of length called the palm or hand-breadth (shesep), which is $1/undefined$ of a cubit, and which is denoted sometimes by an arc over the number; and $1/undefined$ of a palm called a ﬁnger-breadth or finger.