THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

Such a system of notation is practically the abacus on paper and apparently was the source of the scientific system of notation of the Chinese, and may have been the source of the Arabic numerals, the origin of which is admittedly doubtful. To avoid writing too many strokes, the Chinese made one stroke to represent five units. The numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, were written, |, ||, |||, ||||, |||||, 丅, 𠀑, 𠀒, 𠀓, 0. 1405536 for instance was written | 𝌆 0 𝌇 ||||| ≡ 丅 (see M. Cantor's Mathematical Contributions original: "Mathematische Beiträge", Halle 1863, pages 46 and 47; first table figures 15, 16).

The East-Arabian figures ۱, ۲, ۳, ٤ (1, 2, 3, and 4) originated from the primitive numerals | || ||| ||||. They are only a combination of two, three, and four strokes, to indicate the respective numbers. The figure ٥ for 5 originated from the circle, which in the primitive system of numeral notation was the fifth symbol representing a zero, and in the South-Arabian system of numeral notation was a symbol representing ten units. The East-Arabian figures, ٦, ٧, ٨ (6, 7, and 8) are each a combination of two strokes. The figure ٩ originated apparently from a circle and a stroke, and a dot indicated a zero.

Many writers maintain that only at a later period the principle of position Also known as place-value notation; the idea that the value of a digit (like 1) depends on where it sits in a number (like 10 vs 100). and the zero was discovered. We are, however, now certain that in Babylon, many centuries before the Christian Era, a sexagesimal position A base-60 numbering system, similar to how we track time today with 60 seconds and 60 minutes. was known. In my opinion, the sexagesimal position originated from the decimal position A base-10 numbering system, which is the standard system used globally today., and not the reverse; for the earliest abacus A mechanical counting tool using beads or rods on a frame, used for performing arithmetic., which was doubtless based on a decimal position, is older than the