hands so that for example one foot is given as three hands and fifteen fingers and also as four palms and sixteen fingers. Surveying and itinerant measurement were undertaken using rods, poles, and knotted cords of rope. A scene in the tomb of Menna in Thebes shows surveyors measuring a plot of land using rope with knots tied at regular intervals. Similar scenes can be found in the tombs of Amenhotep-Sesi, Khaemhat and Djeserkareseneb. The balls of rope are also shown in New Kingdom statues of officials such as Senenmut, Amenemhet-Surer, and Penanhor. Triangles: The ancient Egyptians knew that the area of a triangle is where b = base and h = height. Calculations of the area of a triangle appear in both the RMP and the MMP. Rectangles: Problem 49 from the RMP finds the area of a rectangular plot of land Problem 6 of MMP finds the lengths of the sides of a rectangular area given the ratio of the lengths of the sides. This problem seems to be identical to one of the Lahun Mathematical Papyri in London. The problem also demonstrates that the Egyptians were familiar with square roots. They even had a special hieroglyph for finding a square root. It looks like a corner and appears in the fifth line of the problem. Scholars suspect that they had tables giving the square roots of some often used numbers. No such tables have been found however. Problem 18 of the MMP computes the area of a length of garment-cloth. The Lahun Papyrus Problem 1 in LV.4 is given as: An area of 40 "mH" by 3 "mH" shall be divided in 10 areas, each of which shall have a width that is 1/2 1/4 of their length. A translation of the problem and its solution as it appears on the fragment is given on the website maintained by University College London. Circles: Problem 48 of the RMP compares the area of a circle (approximated by an octagon) and its circumscribing square. This problem's result is used in problem 50. Trisect each side. Remove the corner triangles. The resulting octagonal figure approximates the circle. The area of the octagonal figure is: Next we approximate 63 to be 64 and note that Thus the number plays the role of π = 3.14159.... That this octagonal figure, whose area is easily calculated, so accurately approximates the area of the