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Maya-Number-System-Lesson-student-printable

The Maya number system uses three symbols: a dot for 1, a line for 5, and a shell for 0, and it is based on a place value system of 20s. Numbers are written vertically with zero as a placeholder, and combinations of dots and lines represent values up to 19. For numbers greater than 19, the symbols are arranged in place values, with each value being 20 times greater than the previous one.

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14 views2 pages

Maya-Number-System-Lesson-student-printable

The Maya number system uses three symbols: a dot for 1, a line for 5, and a shell for 0, and it is based on a place value system of 20s. Numbers are written vertically with zero as a placeholder, and combinations of dots and lines represent values up to 19. For numbers greater than 19, the symbols are arranged in place values, with each value being 20 times greater than the previous one.

Uploaded by

juliussithole04
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: STUDENT REPRODUCIBLE

(Page 1)

Maya Number System


The Maya number system is very different from the system you use daily—the Maya used only three
symbols to represent all numbers! They used a dot to represent 1, a line to represent 5, and a shell to
represent 0. The Maya wrote their numbers vertically and used zero as a placeholder. Many believe
that the Maya were the first people to use a symbol for zero.

The Maya used a place value system based on 20s, not 10s like the number system we use today.
So the place values were multiples of 20s: 1s, 20s (20x1), 400s (20x20), 8,000s (20x400), and so on.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKED: Numbers 1 through 4 were written using a row of dots.
The number 5 was written as a horizontal line. Numbers 6 through 19 were written
using a combination of lines and dots, or 5s and 1s.
For example:
• 6 was written as one line with one dot above it: (5+1)
• 10 was written using two lines: (5+5)
• 19 was written as three stacked lines with a row of four dots on top of them:
(5+5+5+1+1+1+1)

MAYA NUMERALS
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Name: STUDENT REPRODUCIBLE
(Page 2)

For numbers greater than 19, the symbols were arranged vertically in place values, with the greatest value on top.
Each place value was 20 times greater than the one that came before it. Look at the examples below.

• 303 was written as three lines in the 20s place, and


8,000
Maya Place Values

three dots in the 1s place: ((5+5+5) x 20) + (1+1+1)

400 • 420 was written with one dot in the 400s place, one
dot in the 20s place, and one shell in the 1s place:
20 (1x400) + (1x20) + (0x1)

1 • 4,008 was written as two lines in the 400s place, one


shell in the 20s place, and three dots above a line in
Value of
Number 303 420 4,008 the 1s place: (10x400) + (0x20) + (8x1)

PART ONE: Find the solution to each PART TWO: To find the value of greater Maya numbers, multiply the value of the Maya
equation below. Write your answers using numeral by the value of its place. Then add the values together. Calculate the value of the
Maya numerals. Maya numbers presented below.

+ = 8,000
Maya Place Values

400
x =

20
+ =
1
– = Value of
Number

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