A possible use of the cubit rod in Ancient Egypt to measure and draw lengths based on fractions

Abstract

We will discuss about a possible method of using the cubit rod by the architects and the surveyors of Ancient Egypt to measure and draw lengths, comparing it with the other interpretations present in Literature. Instead of the modern decimal notation, which sees the use of comma to represent a number or a measure, at that time there was a wide use of fractions in calculations. The current work proposes that, through the cubit rod and its partitions of the finger into fractions, it could be possible to obtain very accurate measurements.