The Hindu-Arabic Numerals
It has long been recognized that the common numerals used in daily life are of comparatively recent origin.
The number of systems of notation employed before the Christian era was about the same as the number of
written languages, and in some cases a single language had several systems. The Egyptians, for example, had
three systems of writing, with a numerical notation for each; the Greeks had two well-defined sets of
numerals, and the Roman symbols for number changed more or less from century to century. Even to-day the
number of methods of expressing numerical concepts is much greater than one would believe before making...