[THREAD]
Modern life is unimaginable with numbers and positional notations. Mathematics and records will be incomplete without the decimal system. This ingenious scheme was created by Hindu mathematicians and is now known as Hindu Arabic number system.
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Modern life is unimaginable with numbers and positional notations. Mathematics and records will be incomplete without the decimal system. This ingenious scheme was created by Hindu mathematicians and is now known as Hindu Arabic number system.
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![[THREAD]
Modern life is unimaginable with numbers and positional notations. Mathematics and records...](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_8fDd8VIAIZa3h.jpg)
Earlier civilizations couldn't use zero or positional systems, hence recording even moderately large numbers used to be very difficult. For example 123456 in Roman numerals will look like this.
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Hindu number system used in India had the notion of zero and decimal point that made numbers easier to manage and development of different mathematical branches. The Bakhshali manuscript, part of which is dated to 200-300 CE, contains the decimal notation.
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Originally in India, Brahmi and Kharosthi numerals were used. However, both lacked the positional decimal notation and hence suffered from similar deficiencies as the Roman numerals. See examples of Brahmi and Kharoshti numerals.
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Later, during the Gupta age, decimal point and zero started to be developed and used in the Hindu number system by Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Sarvanandi and others. Usage can be found in Brahmasputasidhhanta, Aryabhatiya, and other mathematical treatises of that period.
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Later after the Arab and Islamic conquests to India, the Hindu mathematics reached Islamic Arabia. The notable mathematicians there openly recognized the origin of the number system to Hindu mathematicians. The most notable example is al-Khwarizmi, known for the term algorithm
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Musa al-Khwarizmi was born around 800 CE in Persia and was a notable mathematician of the Islamic world. His relevant work is "On the Calculation with Hindu numerals". The Latin translation "Algoritmi de numero Indorum" became popular in Europe.
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Another notable Arab mathematician al-Kindi wrote kitāb fī isti'māl al-'adād al-hindī (كتاب في استعمال العداد الهندي) or "On the use of Hindu numerals". Almost all Arab mathematicians openly acknowledged the Hindu number system.
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After the Arab manuscripts were taken to Europe, two changes happened.
First, the translation of al-Hind was done as Indians and not Hindus.
Second, the number system was mentioned as Hindu-Arabic number system.
But the Arabs only referred to the Hindus.
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First, the translation of al-Hind was done as Indians and not Hindus.
Second, the number system was mentioned as Hindu-Arabic number system.
But the Arabs only referred to the Hindus.
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If we see what al-Khwarizmi wrote, he only credited the Hindus (translated as Indians) for creating the number system. See the explanation of the modern number system mentioned by him and credited to the Hindu mathematicians. Highlighted portion shows the usage of 0
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Later, after these mathematical treatises went to Europe, the Latin translations and the Roman, French, Spanish mathematicians gradually converted these to Hindu-Arabic number system. It's noteworthy indeed how much the Arabic mathematicians credit the Hindus for this.
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Tagging so that more people can read the history of the modern number system
@Aabhas24 @ShefVaidya @JoeAgneya
@Aabhas24 @ShefVaidya @JoeAgneya
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