Historical

Development
of
Arabic – Hindu
Numeral System
Arabic-Hindu Numeral System
The Hindu–Arabic numeral system is a
Positional decimal numeral system
developed by the 9th century by Indian
mathematicians
Adopted by Persian (Al-Khwarizmi's circa
825 book On the Calculation with Hindu
Numerals)
Adopted by Arabic mathematicians (Al-
Kindi's circa 830 volumes On the Use of the
Indian Numerals)
Spread to the western world by the High
Middle Ages.
 Brief History

The numeral system

was developed in
ancient India, and
was well established
by the time of the
Bakhshali manuscript
(ca. 3d c. CE).
 Brief History
Despite its Indian origins it was
initially known in the West as
"Arabic numerals" because of
its introduction to Europe
through Arabic texts such as
Al-Khwarizmi's "On the
Calculation with Hindu
Numerals" (ca. 825), and Al-
Kindi's four volume work "On
the Use of the Indian
Numerals" (ca. 830)
 Predecessors
• The Brahmi numerals are the basis of the system.
• It replaces the earlier Kharosthi numerals indigenous to India
following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th
century BC
• Brahmi and Kharosthi numerals were used alongside one
another in the Maurya Empire period, both appearing on the
3rd century BC edicts of Ashoka.
• Brahmi numerals are the ancestors of the Hindu–Arabic glyphs
1 to 9, but they were not used as a positional system with a
zero, and there were rather separate numerals for each of the
tens (10, 20, 30, etc.).
• The actual numeral system, including positional notation and
use of zero, is in principle independent of the glyphs used, and
significantly younger than the Brahmi numerals.
 Development
• The development of the positional decimal
system takes its origins in Indian mathematics
during the Gupta period.
• Around 500 CE the astronomer Aryabhata uses
the word kha ("emptiness") to mark "zero" in
tabular arrangements of digits.
• The 7th century Brahmasphuta Siddhanta
contains a comparatively advanced
understanding of the mathematical role of zero
• The Sanskrit translation of the lost 5th century Prakrit
Jaina cosmological text Lokavibhaga preserve an early
instance of positional use of zero.
• These Indian developments were taken up in Islamic
mathematicsin the 8th century, as recorded in al-
Qifti's Chronology of the scholars (early 13th century).
• The numeral system came to be known to both the
Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi who wrote a
book, On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals in
about 825, and the Arab mathematician Al-Kindi, who
wrote four volumes, On the Use of the Indian
Numerals ‫هندي‬
( ‫[ كتاب في استعمال العداد ال‬kitab fi isti'mal
al-'adad al-hindi]) around 830
• These books are principally responsible for the
diffusion of the Indian system of numeration
throughout the Islamic world and ultimately
also to Europe.
• The first dated and undisputed inscription
showing the use of zero at is at Gwalior, dating
to 876 AD.
• In 10th century Islamic mathematics, the
system was extended to include fractions, as
recorded in a treatise by Syrian mathematician
Abu'l-Hasan al-Uqlidisi in 952–953
 976
In Christian Europe, t he first me ntion a nd represent ation
of Hindu-Arabic nume rals (from one to nine, wit hout
zero), is in t he Codex Vigilanus, a n illum inated compilation

1202
of various historical documents f rom the Visig ot hic period
in S pain, written in the y ear 976 by three monk sof the
Riojan monastery of S an Martín de Albelda.

published in 1202.

Algeria, promoted th e Arabic

book "Liber Abaci", wh ich was
numeral system in Euro pe with his

Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician

who had studied in Béjaïa (Bougie),
Europe
Adoption in

in commerce and mathemati cs.

Arabic numerals a re widely used
numeral systems, the European
languages which have their own
the world.

Even in many countries in

gradually became the most
In the last few centuries, the

was spread around the world an d

commonly used nu meral system in

European variety of Arabic numbers
In China, Gautama Siddha
introduced Indian
Adoptio
numerals with zero in
718, but Chinese
mathematicians did not
n in East
find them useful, as they
had already had the
decimal positional
Asia
counting rods

Chinese and Japanese

finally adopted the
Hindu–Arabic numerals
in the 19th century,
abandoning counting
rods.