Babylonian cuneiform numerals facts for kids
The Babylonian cuneiform numerals were a special way of writing numbers used by the ancient Babylonians. They wrote these numbers using a style called cuneiform. This involved pressing a sharp, wedge-shaped tool, often made from a reed, into soft clay tablets. After writing, these tablets were left in the sun to dry and harden, creating a lasting record.
The Babylonians were very good at studying the stars and doing math. They even invented the abacus to help with their calculations. Their number system was based on the number 60, which is called a sexagesimal system. It was also a positional system, meaning the place of a number changed its value, much like how the number 2 in 20 is different from the 2 in 200. They got this system from earlier civilizations like the Sumerians or Akkadians.
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How Babylonian Numbers Began
This number system first appeared around 2000 BC (about 4000 years ago!). It was influenced by the way Semitic languages counted in groups of ten. However, the Babylonians also used a special Sumerian symbol for the number 60, showing a connection to the older Sumerian system.
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Symbols and How They Worked
The Babylonian system was one of the first known positional number systems. This was a huge step forward! In older systems, you needed a new symbol for every big number (like 10, 100, 1000). But with a positional system, the same symbol could mean different things depending on where it was placed in the number. This made math much easier.
They used only two main symbols to write all the numbers up to 59:
for units (like 1, 2, 3)
for tens (like 10, 20, 30)
They combined these symbols to make other numbers. For example, 
meant 23. It was a bit like how Roman numerals work.
To show an empty place, like our modern zero, they would leave a space. Later, they created a special sign (
) for this empty spot. However, they didn't have a symbol like our decimal point. So, you had to guess from the situation whether meant 23, or 23 times 60, or 23 divided by 60, and so on.
Why 60 Was So Important
The Babylonian number system was based on 60. This is called a sexagesimal system. Why 60? Because 60 is a very special number! It can be divided evenly by many other numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60. This made it very useful for dividing things up, like time or angles.
We still use the number 60 today!
- There are 60 seconds in a minute.
- There are 60 minutes in an hour.
- A circle has 360 degrees (which is 6 times 60).
- Each degree is divided into 60 arcminutes, and each arcminute into 60 arcseconds.
So, the Babylonian system still affects how we measure time and angles!
The Idea of Zero
The Babylonians didn't have a symbol for the number zero in the same way we do. They understood the idea of "nothing" or an empty space, but they didn't see it as a number itself. Later, they did create a placeholder symbol () to show an empty spot in the middle of a number. For example, it could show the difference between 101 and 11. But they didn't use it at the end of a number, like we do in 100.
See also
In Spanish: Numeración babilónica para niños
- Akkadian language § Numerals
- Babylon
- Babylonia
- Babylonian mathematics
- History of zero
- Numeral system
- Sumerian language § Numerals
