Why are the numbers invented by the Indians called Arabic numerals ?

Mondo History Updated on 2024-01-28

Arabic numerals refer to the ten numeric symbols from 0 to 9, but Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs, but by ancient Indian mathematicians, so why do we all call them Arabic numerals?

Actually, the word "Arabic numerals" does not represent the origin or inventor of the numerical system. It is because these numerical character sets were widely used and disseminated by Arabic mathematicians between the 9th and 10th centuries AD that they are called "Arabic numerals".

Hundred Families Help Program Arabic numerals origin.

As early as the 5th century AD, ancient Indian mathematicians had developed a set of numerical character sets, including ten numbers from 0 to 9, and used these numbers for calculations and records. These numeric character sets were originally known as "Indian numerals" or "Indo-Arabic numerals" until later, with the spread of Indian culture and commerce, this notation was gradually adopted by Arab traders in coastal cities, who brought it to the Middle East.

During the 9th and 10th centuries, mathematicians and businessmen in the Arab world began to make extensive use of these numbers, applying them to the fields of commerce, science, and technology, and describing their properties and uses in their writings. These writings were translated into Latin and introduced to Europe, making these figures widely used in the West as well. This notation is not only concise and easy to understand and use, but also makes calculations and research in the fields of mathematics and science much more efficient and accurate. Introduced to our country

The earliest introduction of Arabic numerals to China can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century. During this period, China under the rule of the Mongol Empire had extensive exchanges and contacts with the Arab world. With the development of **, Arab businessmen and scholars brought the Arabic numeral system to China, and it was gradually accepted and used by us.

Yang Hui (1238-1298), a famous mathematician of the Yuan Dynasty, used Arabic numerals in his work "Detailed Explanation of Nine Chapters of Arithmetic". This marked the official introduction and promotion of Arabic numerals in China. Subsequently, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Arabic numerals gradually replaced the traditional Chinese numeral representation in China as the main numerical symbol system. The use of Arabic numerals has further accelerated the development of the fields of science, business, and computing.

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