The Mayan Numbering System

Rather than a system of math based on the number ten digits (like we use today), the Maya used a base number of 20. They also used representations of bars and dot as a record of counting. A dot stood for one and a bar stood for five. Interestingly, the Maya were the earliest known culture to have a concept of "zero" that they actually applied to their sciences and maths.

Here is a brief breakdown of their numbering system:

0	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14

Because the base of the number system was 20, larger numbers were written down in powers of 20. We do something similar in our decimal system, too: for example 32 is 3 x 10 + 2. In the Maya system, this would be 1 x 20 + 12 with 20 as the base.

So for the Maya, calculations became a quick and easy system of counting, or subtracting dots and bars. Maya traders often used cocoa beans as symbols to represent the various quantities of items of value.

For more details visit the website here: http:// www.2012unlocked.com