What are some of the distinctive features of the number syst

What are some of the distinctive features of the number systems and mathematics of early (i.e. precolonial) American societies? In what important way does the Mayan number system differ from almost every other known number system?

Solution

The Maya number system was a base twenty system.

Almost certainly the reason for base 20 arose from ancient people who counted on both their fingers and their toes. Although it was a base 20 system, called a vigesimal system, five plays a major role, again clearly relating to five fingers and toes.

In a true base twenty system the first number would denote the number of units up to 19, the next would denote the number of 20\'s up to 19, the next the number of 400\'s up to 19, etc. However although the Maya number system starts this way with the units up to 19 and the 20\'s up to 19, it changes in the third place and this denotes the number of 360\'s up to 19 instead of the number of 400\'s. After this the system reverts to multiples of 20 so the fourth place is the number of 18 × 20², the next the number of 18 × 20³ and so on. For example [ 8;14;3;1;12 ] represents

12 + 1 × 20 + 3 × 18 × 20 + 14 × 18 × 20² + 8 × 18 × 20³ = 1253912.