The most common numeral system we use in the western world nowadays originated in India. It is usually called “Arabic Numerals” as it spread to Europe from India through the Arabs. Most of the positional base 10 numeral systems in the world have originated from India, where the concept of positional numerology was first developed.
Around the 5th century A.D., Aryabhata (indian astronomer and mathematician) gave the world the base 10 numeral system and an approximation for Pi. One century later Brahmagupta introduced the zero as a number. The Persian mathematicians adopted the Indian numerals which were later introduced to the West by the Arabs.
There are other forms of numeric systems namely the Roman Numerals, which we commonly use even today and those adopted by the Chinese and Japanese which were known as “Chinese Numerals” which were written in a vertical manner. Further various other number systems were developed, namely “the binary system” which is used in computers, the “quinary system” used in abaci, the “duodecimal system” used to count things in dozens and the “sexagesimal system”, used to express angles or time.
Eva Reñé Bañeres, 20/12/2010
Collaborator at INDOLINK