Canals, dams, and other irrigation projects required calculations. The use of bricks raised numerous numerical and geometrical problems. Volumes of granaries and buildings and the areas of fields had to be determined. The close relationship between Babylonian mathematics and practical problems is typified by the following : A canal whose cross-section was a trapezoid and whose dimensions were known was to be dug. The amount of digging one man could do in a day was known, as was the sum of the number of men employed and the days they worked. The problem was to calculate the number of men and the number of days of work.
