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Gordon Elder, 12, of Lansing, Mich., for his question:

HOW DID NUMBERS GET STARTED?

Our numeration system is rather simple. It has only 10 basic numerals which are called digits. They are the numbers 1 through 9 and also the zero. With these 10 symbols we can represent any number. The system is called decimal because it is based on 10. The word comes from the Latin " decem," which means 10.

Numbers are actually ideas. We cannot really see or touch them. Numeral systems are ways of counting and naming numbers.

Earliest man probably had several ways of recording the few numbers he needed. He could have kept a collection of pebbles to represent the number of sheep in his flock. Each pebble could stand for one sheep, and by matching pebbles against the flock, he would be able to tell if he had all of his sheep.

He probably then devised a way of recording the number of his various possessions. Knots tied in leather thongs and scratched tally marks on rock walls could have been two different ways in which he could keep a count of his items.

It wasn't long until man was able to come up with words to represent his numbers. Primitive man used the word " wings" to mean two objects. If he wanted to refer to four things, he used the name of a fruit that was known to grow in clusters of four, and ''hand'' came to be the indication for five items. These number names were found in most of the primitive languages.

Next man began to count. He could say all of the words in order which represented the various numbers. Soon people in many parts of the world developed various counting systems. Some were based on units of five, others on 10, 12 or 60. We still have such measures as 12 inches in one foot and 60 seconds in one minute and 60 minutes in one hour.

Many early systems repeated basic symbols and added their values to get the numbers they wanted. This was the case with the Egyptian, Greek and Roman numeral systems.

The Hindus devised a system that turned out to be far superior to almost all the others. It used the principle of place value and also a symbol that meant "not any.'' This system became the decimal numeral system which is now used in most parts of the world.

The Hindu Arabic numeration system, which mathematicians regard as one of the world's greatest inventions, was developed over a number of years starting about 300 B.C. with the Hindu system of symbols. Then in 700 A.D. the Arabs added to the system, with the Persians providing a translation in 800 A.D. which introduced the system into Europe.

 

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