Maya numerals
400s | |||
20s | |||
1s | |||
33 | 429 | 5125 |
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The Mayan numeral system was the system to represent
Numbers after 19 were written vertically in powers of twenty. The Mayan used powers of twenty, just as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system uses powers of ten.[1]
For example, thirty-three would be written as one dot, above three dots atop two bars. The first dot represents "one twenty" or "1×20", which is added to three dots and two bars, or thirteen. Therefore, (1×20) + 13 = 33.
Upon reaching 202 or 400, another row is started (203 or 8000, then 204 or 160,000, and so on). The number 429 would be written as one dot above one dot above four dots and a bar, or (1×202) + (1×201) + 9 = 429.
Other than the bar and dot notation, Maya numerals were sometimes illustrated by face type glyphs or pictures. The face glyph for a number represents the deity associated with the number. These face number glyphs were rarely used, and are mostly seen on some of the most elaborate monumental carvings.
There are different representations of zero in the Dresden Codex, as can be seen at page 43b (which is concerned with the synodic cycle of Mars).[2] It has been suggested that these pointed, oblong "shell" representations are calligraphic variants of the PET logogram, approximately meaning "circular" or "rounded", and perhaps the basis of a derived noun meaning "totality" or "grouping", such that the representations may be an appropriate marker for a number position which has reached its totality.[3]
Addition and subtraction
Adding and subtracting numbers below 20 using Mayan numerals is very simple.
Addition is performed by combining the numeric symbols at each level:
If five or more dots result from the combination, five dots are removed and replaced by a bar. If four or more bars result, four bars are removed and a dot is added to the next higher row. This also means that the value of 1 bar is 5.
Similarly with
If there are not enough dots in a minuend position, a bar is replaced by five dots. If there are not enough bars, a dot is removed from the next higher minuend symbol in the column and four bars are added to the minuend symbol which is being worked on.
Modified vigesimal system in the Maya calendar
Every known example of large numbers in the Maya system uses this 'modified vigesimal' system, with the third position representing multiples of 18×20. It is reasonable to assume, but not proven by any evidence, that the normal system in use was a pure base-20 system.[5]
Origins
Several Mesoamerican cultures used similar numerals and base-twenty systems and the
Since the eight earliest Long Count dates appear outside the Maya homeland,
Unicode
Mayan numerals codes in Unicode comprise the block 1D2E0 to 1D2F3
Mayan Numerals[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
U+1D2Ex | 𝋠 | 𝋡 | 𝋢 | 𝋣 | 𝋤 | 𝋥 | 𝋦 | 𝋧 | 𝋨 | 𝋩 | 𝋪 | 𝋫 | 𝋬 | 𝋭 | 𝋮 | 𝋯 |
U+1D2Fx | 𝋰 | 𝋱 | 𝋲 | 𝋳 | ||||||||||||
Notes |
See also
- Kaktovik numerals, a similar system from another culture, created in the late 20th century.
References
- ^ Saxakali (1997). "Mayan Numerals". Archived from the original on 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
- ^ "Codex Dresdensis - Mscr.Dresd.R.310". Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) Dresden.
- ^ David Stuart (June 15, 2012). "The Calligraphic Zero". Maya Decipherment: Ideas on Maya Writing and Iconography -- Boundary End Archaeological Research Center. Retrieved Mar 11, 2024.
- ISBN 1-56006-757-8.
- ^ Anderson, W. French. “Arithmetic in Maya Numerals.” American Antiquity, vol. 36, no. 1, 1971, pp. 54–63
- ^ No long count date actually using the number 0 has been found before the 3rd century, but since the long count system would make no sense without some placeholder, and since Mesoamerican glyphs do not typically leave empty spaces, these earlier dates are taken as indirect evidence that the concept of 0 already existed at the time.
- OCLC 56746987.
Further reading
- OCLC 15895415.
- Díaz Díaz, Ruy (December 2006). "Apuntes sobre la aritmética Maya" (online reproduction). Educere (in Spanish). 10 (35). Táchira, Venezuela: OCLC 66480251.
- Davidson, Luis J. “The Maya Numerals.” Mathematics in School, vol. 3, no. 4, 1974, pp. 7–7
- OCLC 275252.
External links
- Maya numerals converter - online converter from decimal numeration to Maya numeral notation.
- Anthropomorphic Maya numbers - online story of number representations.
- BabelStone Mayan Numerals - free font for Unicode Mayan numeral characters.