Cultural Development of Number Concepts
In this assignment, you will find information about the development
of the different number concepts that different cultures have developed
over the years. The history of each mathematics and number systems are
different and based on the time of invention, cultural development and the
needs of their environment.
This data will be based on 3 different mathematics: African
Mathematics, Indian Mathematics, and Chinese Mathematics.
1: Indian Mathematics
The Indian number system is a base 10 system, in contrast to the
Babylonian system which was base 60. The Indian system uses decimal
place-value notation and evolved from Brahmi numerals; zero as a
placeholder and symbol for nothingness was crucial innovation.
The Indian numeral system assigns a value to each numeral based on
its position in the count, relative to other numerals. This is not unique to
India and Indians were not the earliest people to make such assignments.
The Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which is the foundation of our
modern number system, was developed by Indian mathematicians—
particularly Aryabhata and Brahmagupta.
The Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which is used by most of the
world today, was developed in India during the 6th or 7th century and
introduced to Europe through writings of Middle Eastern mathematicians
about 12th century. The Arabs transmitted this system to the West after the
Hindu numerical system found its way to Persia, so it became known as
Arabic numerals. However, Arabs call the numerals they use “Indian
numerals”.
Positional Notation: The value of a digit depends on its position
within the number.
Base-10: Each place value is a power of 10, starting from the right
2: Chinese Mathematics
Before the population gain of written numbers, ancient Chinese
mathematicians and merchants used counting rods for calculations. The
counting rods were small bars usually 3–14 cm long that could be placed
either horizontally or vertically to represent any integer or rational number.
In ancient China, counting rods were used as the main calculation tool.
The rods were made of small bamboo or ivory sticks, which were arranged
to represent numbers.
Vertical rods each stand for units, tens, hundreds, etc. Horizontal
rods each stand for fives, fifties, five hundreds, etc.
Alternating red and black colors differentiate positive and negative
numbers
In 1954, forty-odd counting rods of the Warring States period (5th
century BCE to 221 BCE) were found in Zuǒ jiāgōngshān Chu's grave.
3: Greek Mathematics (Babylonians)
The Sumerians, who were the predecessors of the Babylonians,
developed a base-60 system for counting. The sexagesimal system, which is
based on the number 60, was highly useful for calculations involving
fractions and divisions.
A sexagesimal positional numerical system is the Babylonian number
system. They used a series of marks made by pressing a square-ended stylus
into soft clay to create cursive script.
Although the ten sub-base was used only to make it easier to
represent the large number of digits needed, the system was not truly a
mixed-radix system of bases 10 and 6 because the place-values in a digit
string were always 60-based, and the arithmetic required to work with
these digit strings was correspondingly sexagesimal.
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The Babylonians were skilled mathematicians who performed a
variety of arithmetic, geometric, and astronomical calculations using their
number system. They were able to overcome challenging mathematical
problems by creating advanced strategies for addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division.
Even though this method has had its long lifespan, the system is no
longer the most often used number system. Rather, the majority of the
world uses the Hindu-Arabic base-10 system.
