Sunday, January 14, 2007

ancient math

Indian mathematicians developed the
number system in the pre Greek/Roman era. The conceptualisation
of, and the mathematical symbolisation of, the Zero particularly
is acknowledged to be the gift of India. Sometime since the
visit of Alexander the Great, this number system reached
Arabia/Asia Minor. With the Moor Invasion of Europe, and the
Crusades, the number system reached Europe. Since the Europeans
got it from the Arabs, it became know to them as the Arabic
Numerals.Until then, Europe used the Roman numbering system (which is
based on the Roman Script/alphabet) where the progression is
somewhat clumsy in comparison to the Arabic. So that the
denotation of larger numbers becomes almost messy. And note that
there is no zero used in the Roman numbering system - even
though it too is a decimal system
Om prunamadah purnamidam purnat purnamuddachayate
Purnasya purnmadaya purnamevavashishyate.
That is the first, most enduring, and most concise
definition/descriptio of Infinity - both Divine and mathematical.

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