Something to

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Something to Count on
Spring Semester, 2001
By Jenny Thomas
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Alexander the Great invaded Gandhara, a
part of the Persian Empire in the northwest
corner of India in about 325 B.
C. At this time, much of Greek
culture, including the mathematicians, took
political refuge in India. This invasion opened a
doorway between India (now including Greek
knowledge) and distant countries to the West.
This doorway allowed the exchange of ideas and
information between the two regions.
Our Hindu-Arabic numbering system, the numbers we
see, use and count on everyday, is a direct
result of this exchange.
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By 300 B.C., building on mathematics
learned from the Greeks, Hindu
mathematicians had developed a system
very similar to what we have today.
There were separate digits for 1 through
9, plus the concept of zero, which is necessary
for our present place value system.
In a place value system the place of the digit
within a number (first, second, third, etc)
indicates the value of the digit (ones, tens,
hundreds, etc).
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One of the most important developments
of early mathematics, the zero began as
a dot similar to our decimal point.
Gradually this dot grew into a circle and became
the symbol for nothing. In our place value system
the zero allows the writing of numbers such as
201. Here the zero holds the tens place making
it clear that the 2 means 2 hundreds, not 2
ones, 2 tens or even 2 thousands.
By the way, the word zero is from the Arabic
sifr.
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Beginning in the early seventh century
A.D., Arab rule included the Middle
East, to Europe and Spain, as well as Northern
Africa.
Translated in Baghdad, both Greek and Hindu
Mathematics books began to be available to more
people.
With capitals in Baghdad in the East and Cordoba,
Spain, in the West, the knowledge and ideas
gleaned from India were thus distributed through
out the known world.
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Hence, we have the
Hindu-Arabic numbering system -
named for the Hindus (who invented
it) and the Arabs (who distributed
it).
But what if that doorway between the two worlds
had never been opened? What would we count on
then?
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Not so long ago
in a math class not so far away
I HAD A NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!
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In my dream, all Hindu-Arabic numbers had
regressed to various ancient numbering systems
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Looking at my digital clock, instead of 600 AM,
to my amazement I see...
Bamboo Counting Rods
(Now, this is just TOO much!!!)
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Turning from that sight, there is my calendar.
No longer showing 02/14/2001, now it is
Egyptian Hieroglyphs
(Maybe King Tut can explain this to me!!!)
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Hoping for some sign of normalcy,I look at my
day planner, but its all Greek to me!!!
I am shocked to realize my mother is not
about to turn 73 years old, but instead will be
(Happy Birthday,




Mom!)
(Attic Greek)
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Looking further, it is spooky to realize that
instead of being 10/31, Halloween is now
(Ionic Greek)
(Boy, this is getting scary!
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My class notes have also been transformed
Columbus didnt discover America in 1492. It is
now
Mayan
General
Numerals
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And Pearl Harbor Day is no longer 12/7/1941. It
has now become
Mayan
Calendrical
Numerals
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Driving to work, I stop to put gas in my car.
Even with my glasses, the pump no longer shows
1.499. Instead, I see
Ancient Chinese
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In near panic, I return home. Looking at my
speedometer, I am appalled to see that I am NOT
going 45 mph. Instead, I am going
Babylonian Numerals
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In a desperate search for sanity I look at my
morning paper. In the 2001 Super Bowl, instead of
Baltimore beating New York 34 to 7, it is now
XXXIV to VII !!!
Roman Numerals
have taken over my sports page!!
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Totally rattled, I hear a loud ringing in my
ears. Louder and louder until finally I WAKE UP!!
It was all a terrible nightmare! The world has
returned to normal, and I now have a greater
appreciation of Hindu-Arabic numbers.
I hope you do too.
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Sources Book Mathematica, Professor Leo Lusk, c.
2000 Countless Ways to Count Sharon
Huntington, Christian Science Monitor 12/31/1996,
Vol. 89, Issue 25, p. 16 Mathsticks of Early
China Du Shi-ran, UNESCO Courier, Nov 93, Vol.
46, Issue 11, p18 Hindu-Arabic Numerals
http//scitsc.wlv.ac.uk/university/scit/modules/mm
2217/han.htm The Mayas http//www.michielb.nl/may
a/astro.html Egyptian Hieroglyphs
http//www.eyelid.co.uk/
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For more information click the links
below. History of Hindu-Arabic Numbers
http//scitsc.wlv.ac.uk/university/scit/modules/mm
2217/countsys.htm Alexander the Great
http//history.idbsu.edu/westciv/alexander The
Mayas http//www.michielb.nl/maya/astro.html
Egyptian Hieroglyphs http//www.eyelid.co.
uk/ Babylonian and Egyptian Mathematics
http//www.-groups.dsc.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/H
istTopics/ Babylonian_and_Egyptian.html
Real Numbers http//www.rbjones.com/rbjpub/
maths/math008.htm
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