I wrote an essay for the session organized by IASCUD, the International Association for Science and Cultural Diversity at the CLMPST, an international event that takes place every four years. My talk considered the history of algebra and arithmetic notation and whether there were any morals to be gleaned from the history of the spread of Hindu-Arabic numerals that could help bridge the gap between algebra "haves and have-nots" that is a significant barrier to many who seek an undergraduate education but have not yet fulfilled their algebra requirement.
