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Essay 2

The document summarizes three ancient numeration systems: Egyptian, Roman, and Indo-Arabic. The Egyptian system used hieroglyphic symbols that represented powers of ten and could be combined additively. The Roman system started additively but later introduced subtraction; calculations were complicated. The current Indo-Arabic system is positional with unique symbols for 0-9, allowing representation of any whole number. Both Egyptian and Roman systems were originally additive while the Indo-Arabic system introduced place value. The Egyptian system allowed more advanced math like multiplication and division due to its decimal base.

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124 views4 pages

Essay 2

The document summarizes three ancient numeration systems: Egyptian, Roman, and Indo-Arabic. The Egyptian system used hieroglyphic symbols that represented powers of ten and could be combined additively. The Roman system started additively but later introduced subtraction; calculations were complicated. The current Indo-Arabic system is positional with unique symbols for 0-9, allowing representation of any whole number. Both Egyptian and Roman systems were originally additive while the Indo-Arabic system introduced place value. The Egyptian system allowed more advanced math like multiplication and division due to its decimal base.

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Running head: NUMERATION SYSTEMS

Numeration Systems

Mikayla Christensen

Salt Lake Community College


Running head: NUMERATION SYSTEMS

The Indo-Arabic numeration system is the system that is used today almost universally.

In order to understand and appreciate our current system, it is important that we look at the

systems that were used in the past. Ancient Civilizations, like Egypt and Rome, needed a way to

determine “how many,” so they created numeration systems of their own. There are a few

similarities, and differences between Egyptian, Roman, and Indo-Arabic systems which will help

show how we reached the system we use today.

The Egyptians created a number system that was written on stone tablets using

hieroglyphics, which are symbols that have a meaning attached to them. The Egyptians worked

with a base 10 system, so every power of 10 had its own symbol. These symbols could then be

added together to represent other numbers. This system was additive and also had a decimal

base. Egyptians would add by combining their hieroglyphics together, which is similar to how

mathematics is done today. The Egyptian numeration system is no longer used today, and they

have switched to using the Arabic system.

The Roman System started out as completely additive, but later a subtractive principle

was introduced to shorten the notation (Dolan, Williamson, & Muri, 2015). If a single symbol for

a number with less value was written to the left of a symbol for a greater number, than the lesser

number would be subtracted from the greater number. Arithmetic calculations using Roman

numerals was slow and complicated, so calculations were often done by using devices like
Running head: NUMERATION SYSTEMS

abacuses, counting boards, and sand trays (Dolan, Williamson, & Muri, 2015). Roman numerals

are still used today for things like faces of clocks, buildings, and chapters for books.

The Indo-Arabic System is

what is currently being used today. East Indian scholars invented it as early as 800 B.C. and the

Arabs are the ones who brought it to the Western world. This system is positional, it works using

a base of 10, and requires unique symbols for the numbers 0-9. Since the system is positional we

can write a numeral for any whole number (Dolan, Williamson, & Muri, 2015).

There are similarities and differences between all three of these numeration systems.

Both the Egyptian and Roman systems started out as additive, however that did end up changing.

There is no symbol for zero in the Egyptian and Roman systems, but the Indo-Arabic system

does have one. Addition and subtraction were fairly easy with both Roman and Egyptian

systems, however multiplication and division were almost impossible when using the Roman

system. The mathematics used by the Egyptians however allowed for the use of multiplication,

division, and fractions which was made possible because of their decimal base.

Numeration systems are essential when it comes to expressing numbers. Having

background knowledge of numeration systems and where they came from will give us a better

understanding of why they are used, and why they are so important.
Running head: NUMERATION SYSTEMS

References

Dolan, D., Williamson, J., & Muri, M. (2015). ​Mathematics activities for elementary school

teachers​. Pearson

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