All people from early childhood are familiar with the numbers by which objects are counted. There are only ten of them: from 0 to 9. Therefore, the number system is called decimal. With the help of them, you can write down absolutely any number.
For thousands of years people have used their fingers to represent numbers. Today, the decimal system is used everywhere: for measuring time, when buying and selling something, in various calculations. Each person has their own numbers, for example, in a passport, on a credit card.
Across the milestones of history
People are so used to numbers that they don't even think about their importance in life. Probably, many have heard that the numbers that are used are called Arabic. Some were taught this at school, while others found out by accident. So why are the numbers called Arabic? What is their story?
And she is very confusing. There are no reliably accurate facts about their origin. It is known for sure that it is worth to thank the ancient astronomers. Because of them and their calculations, people today have numbers. Astronomers fromIndia, somewhere between the 2nd and 6th centuries, became acquainted with the knowledge of their Greek counterparts. From there, the sexagesimal system of calculus and round zero were taken. Then the Greek was merged with the Chinese decimal system. The Hindus began to designate numbers with one character, and their method quickly spread throughout Europe.
Why are numbers called Arabic?
From the eighth to the thirteenth century, Eastern civilization developed rapidly. This was especially noticeable in the field of science. Great attention was paid to mathematics and astronomy. That is, accuracy was held in high esteem. Throughout the Middle East, the city of Baghdad was considered the main center of science and culture. And all because it was geographically very advantageous. The Arabs did not hesitate to take advantage of this and actively adopted a lot of useful things from Asia and Europe. Baghdad often gathered prominent scientists from these continents who shared their experience and knowledge with each other and talked about their discoveries. At the same time, the Indians and Chinese used their own number systems, which consisted of only ten characters.
Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs at all. They simply appreciated the advantages of them, compared with the Roman and Greek systems, which were considered the most advanced in the world at that time. But it is much more convenient to display infinitely large numbers with only ten digits. The main advantage of Arabic numerals is not the convenience of writing, but the system itself, since it is positional. That is, the position of the digit affects the value of the number. So people define units, tens, hundreds,thousands and so on. It is not surprising that the Europeans took this into service and adopted Arabic numerals. What wise scientists were in the East! Today it seems very surprising.
Writing
What do Arabic numerals look like? Previously, they were composed of broken lines, where the number of angles was compared with the size of the sign. Most likely, Arab mathematicians expressed the idea that it is possible to associate the number of angles with the numerical value of a digit. If you look at the old spelling, you can see how large the Arabic numerals are. What kind of abilities did scientists have in such an ancient time?
So, zero has no angles in writing. The unit includes only one acute angle. The two contains a pair of sharp corners. A triple has three corners. Its correct Arabic spelling is obtained by drawing the postal code on the envelopes. The four includes four corners, the last of which creates a ponytail. The five has five right angles, and the six, respectively, has six. With the correct old spelling, the seven consists of seven corners. Eight out of eight. And nine, you might guess, out of nine. That is why the numbers are called Arabic: they invented the original style.
Hypotheses
Today there is no unequivocal opinion about the formation of writing Arabic numerals. No scientist knows why certain numbers look the way they do and not some other way. What guided the ancient scientists, giving the figures a form? One of the most plausible hypotheses is the one withnumber of corners.
Of course, over time, all the corners of the numbers were smoothed out, they gradually acquired the look familiar to a modern person. And for a huge number of years, Arabic numerals around the world have been used to denote numbers. It's amazing that just ten characters can convey unimaginably large values.
Results
Another answer to the question of why numbers are called Arabic is the fact that the word "number" itself is also of Arabic origin. Mathematicians translated the Hindu word "sunya" into their native language and got "sifr", which is already similar to what is spoken today.
This is all we know about why the numbers are called Arabic. Perhaps modern scientists will still make some discoveries in this regard and shed light on their occurrence. In the meantime, people are content with just this information.
