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Indo-Arabic Numeral System

Type Object Region India Time c. 600–700

A numeral system centered on decimal place-value notation and the concept of zero, invented in India and organized and transmitted by Arab scholars;…

Timeline

  1. c. 600–650Mathematical centers of the Indian subcontinent · Indian subcontinentIndian mathematicians perfected decimal place-value notation, establishing zero's status as both a placeholder and an object of calculation; the numeral symbol system stabilized, as seen in the scholarly tradition of figures such as Brahmagupta.
  2. c. 650–700Baghdad and Persian mathematical schools · MesopotamiaIndian numerals entered West Asia through Persian and Arabic translations and merchant networks; Arab scholars called them "Indian numerals" and began using them for astronomy, accounting, and arithmetic.

Sources