Gao Pragmatic did learn a few abacus lessons when he was a child, but unfortunately, he had never used this thing since then and had already returned it to the teacher. Therefore, he really had nothing to communicate with Gao Guoyan about abacus.
, but in the subsequent conversation, the two people talked about the teacher Gao Guoyan who once asked him a difficult question when he refused to accept him as a disciple. As a result, Gao Guoyan actually solved the question, and then he got the position.
Gate wall.
Gao pragmatic smiled and asked what the topic was. Gao Guoyan said: "The topic is, one hundred monks are divided into one hundred steamed buns. Each of the big monks eats three, and the three young monks eat one. Ask the big and small monks each.
How many?"
Gao Pragmatic immediately ordered someone to take out a pen and paper, draw some "ghostly symbols" on it, and replied: "Twenty-five senior monks and seventy-five junior monks."
Gao Guoyan was shocked. He took the "ghost painting" that he couldn't understand at all and asked: "What is this thing you wrote? This... seems to be a foreign language?"
It turns out that what Gao Jingshi wrote on the rice paper he used as a draft paper was an extremely common problem-solving method in later generations:
100÷(3 1)=25(shares)
25x3=75(people)
25x1=25(people)
Since Gao Pragmatic was a liberal arts student and his mathematics level was average after all, he didn't even use a system of equations to express it. But even so, Gao Guoyan was extremely surprised.
Gao pragmatic smiled and replied: "The numbers above are... uh, Dashi numbers, also called Arabic numerals. I heard that some merchants in the sea trade in the south found it quite convenient, so they used them. It's probably the same
This is how it was introduced to our country, the Ming Dynasty."
In fact, what Gao Pragmatic said is wrong. Arabic numerals were actually invented by the ancient Indians. After the Arabs introduced them to Europe, the Europeans "modernized" them. It was just because the Europeans got them from the Arabs, so
They mistakenly thought it was an invention of the Arabs, and Gao pragmatically had the same misunderstanding as most people on these issues.
Fortunately, it doesn't matter who invented it. Gao Guoyan's attention was not focused on that. Instead, he stared at it for a while and then asked: "Although I don't recognize these, I guess they are probably numbers, but...
...What does this horizontal line in the middle and two points above and below mean? And what does this 'cross' mean?"
The rest of the people present looked like they were reading from heaven. Their eyes when they looked at Gao Pragmatic changed, and they thought to themselves: I have heard that the young master of the Liufang family is a child prodigy. It seems that this statement is true. God knows everything.
Although he doesn't know geography, he can even recognize barbarian writing. How much talent does this have?
But Gao Pragmatic was really tired at the moment and didn't want to continue to struggle with this issue - Gao Guoyan was obviously a math madman. When talking about this to him, how could it be explained clearly in just a few words? So he put on a troubled expression.
He looked like this and shied away with a wry smile: "Brother Sanhuai, the two symbols you asked about are called the division sign and the multiplication sign. However, these things are not something that we can understand in a short time. I think otherwise.
, let’s arrange the next things first, and when I go to Sanshen Garden when I have time, we can have a good discussion on these academic issues, how about it?”
When Gao Guoyan heard this, the disappointment on his face was palpable, but fortunately, after receiving a disciple from a big man, he felt that people with great talents must also have weird tempers, and most of them cannot be forced, so he thought in his heart
He was so anxious that he felt like a cat was scratching his claws, so he had no choice but to agree: "Okay, okay, it's all up to you, but it's pragmatic. You have to agree to my brother, and you must take some time to talk to me about this matter next time."
My son is very important, really, very important.”
Gao Pingshi smiled and said: "I understand, I understand... Then let's get down to business first?"
"Okay, let's get down to business, let's get down to business." Although Gao Guoyan said this, his eyes kept staring at Gao Pingshi's scratch paper. Obviously, in his opinion, understanding this number and algorithm is the real business.
Gao Pragmatic didn't bother to pay attention to this kind of math madman, and said directly: "Brother Sanhuai, I invited you here this time just to borrow your talent in mathematics... Oh, I mean math, help me.
busy."
Gao Guoyan was startled and said hesitantly: "But when I solved this problem, I was much slower than you just now. Although...well, although I don't want to admit it, I think your talent in mathematics is better than mine.
Especially since you are also good at... uh, this big food algorithm, what other problems do you have that you can't solve by yourself that you need my help with?"
"It's not arithmetic." Gao pragmatically said that you have nothing else in your mind except arithmetic? But he could only explain: "Brother, you have to know that arithmetic itself is just a method, and the method itself is not
It’s meaningless, its meaning is to solve problems.”
"Huh? Method...is used to solve problems?" Gao Guoyan seemed to have never thought about this kind of problem before, and was a little slow to react.
Gao Pragmatic nodded and said very seriously: "Yes, the significance of the method is that people can use it to solve the actual problems they face. This is like... well, it is like why the words of the sage almost never tell you that when you
What should you do when faced with a very specific thing? They will only tell you how to correctly understand this type of thing, so that you can come up with specific solutions to the problem yourself."
Gao Pragmatic's statement is obviously a certain argument he made when he first studied Ma Zhe: philosophy is a world view and methodology. However, this statement itself is controversial, and he does not really understand it, but it is still okay to use it to fool Gao Guoyan.
Yes, after all, Confucianism is a philosophy in the eyes of foreigners. When many foreign scholars describe ancient Chinese talents and scholarship, they always like to say that "Chinese scholars are all philosophers." This is the truth.
After hearing this, Gao Guoyan felt that it made sense, but he didn't seem to fully understand it, so he fell into a state of "unconsciousness". Subconsciously he only thought: This little brother of mine is really a prodigy.
I almost don’t understand it, but I still think it makes sense!
Seeing that Gao Guoyan did not refute, Gao pragmatically did not want to continue rambling. He quickly brought the topic back again and said: "So I hope that my brother will go to Sanshenyuan to delegate some of the power for me. To be precise, I can arrange a position.
, called...financial director."
The word "financial director" is a new term, but both "finance" and "director" are old terms in Ming Dynasty. Together, there is nothing incomprehensible. It can even be said that it is clear at a glance, and you will know where the boundaries of power are when you hear them.
, it was very clear, even a person like Gao Guoyan immediately understood what Gao Pragmatic asked him to do.
At that moment, Gao Guoyan nodded and said: "If you just check the accounts, I am confident that I can still do it."
But Gao Pragmatic shook his head: "It's not just about checking the accounts, but also making a budget, and these budgets must have room for adjustment at any time."
***The author has something to say***
Thanks to book friend "fengjiyue" for the tip, thank you.