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Indian Place-Value Notation

Type Object Region India Time c. 1–500

Indian place-value notation, based on the decimal system with positional value and a symbol for zero, greatly simplified calculation with large numbe…

Timeline

  1. c. 1–300Northern India · IndiaFrom around the turn of the era to the 3rd century, decimal-based numeral signs appeared in Sanskrit texts and inscriptions, with the place-value principle gradually becoming clear and laying the groundwork for later systematization.
  2. c. 300–500Northern India · IndiaFrom the 4th to 5th centuries, zero was clearly defined in Indian mathematical texts as both a placeholder and an independent number; place-value notation became complete and spread westward via the Silk Road.

Sources