Ten Computational Canons

The Ten Computational Canons (traditional Chinese: 算經十書; simplified Chinese: 算经十书) was a special group of ten important Chinese math books. These books were written from before the Han dynasty up until the early Tang dynasty. A smart mathematician named Li Chunfeng put them together in the year 650. They became the main math textbooks used in special math tests for the government.

Later, in the year 1084 during the Northern Song dynasty, one book named Shushu Jiyi joined the group, replacing another book called Zhui Shu. Because of this change, Shushu Jiyi became part of the Ten Computational Canons from then on.

These ten books included famous works like the Zhoubi Suanjing, The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, and The Sea Island Mathematical Classic. Studying these books took many years. For example, some books needed three years of study, while others needed up to four years. These important math texts helped many great Chinese mathematicians, such as Jia Xian, Qin Jiushao, Yang Hui, Li Zhi, and Zhu Shijie, make amazing discoveries.