From: trivedi@curie.uchicago.edu (Anil Trivedi)
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: Zero, "Arabic" numerals, etc.
Date: 8 Apr 92 10:21:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: midway.1992Apr8.102143.8360
Organization: Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago.


The following discussion took place in soc.culture.arabic; I thought
it may be of interest to some here as well.


In article <1992Apr8.032426.11816@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> souissi@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
>In article <1992Apr8.000731.29997@midway.uchicago.edu> trivedi@rabi.uchicago.edu (Anil Trivedi) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr07.073012.30344@slate.mines.colorado.edu> imustafa@slate.mines.colorado.edu (MUSTAFA IBRAHIM ) writes:

MI:
>>>		" Zero was introduced by the Arabs...

AT:
>>No it wasn't, except to Eurocentric minds. It has long been known and
>>accepted that zero was invented by Indians; modern scholarship suggests
>>that Mayans and Babylonians may have independently arrived at it also.
>>Europeans learnt about it from the Arabs.

RS:
>I always thought that the Arabs have invented the zero. I didn't do
>any research on the subject, and I hope that other posters can
>enlighten us more on the subject.  There are other scientific
>achievements by the Arabs, but they are hardly acknowleged in the
>West, and are attributed to other western scientists.

AT:
I hope no one will be shocked to hear that West has been unduly arrogant
towards other cultures: recall that Native Americans are still called
Indians even though it has been known for FIVE HUNDRED YEARS that Columbus
had missed India by quite a distance. How *Native Americans* feel about
being called by someone else's name and how *Indians* may feel about this
has never mattered.

Arabs have actually done GREAT things in mathematics and science, for
which they are given NO credit in the West. (The same for other older
civilizations, such as the Chinese, Indians, Mayans, etc.)

However, Arabs are given credit for bringing Indian arithmetic to Europe,
and for preserving "Greek knowledge", whose Egyptian roots are seldom
mentioned, for Europe during the latter's dark ages. 

Modern number system was developed, and Zero invented, in India.
Throughout history, that has been openly acknowledged by Arab mathematicians
and histroians, as you would expect from scholars of integrity. It is the
Europeans who confused the issue and, just as they did with "Indians" of
Americas, never bothered to set it right.

(BTW, a good clue to the non-Arab roots of numerals is that while Arabs
write their text from right to left, they write their numbers from left
to right: as it was done in India.
Similarly, the fact that the hours, minutes, degrees, etc are divided into
60 units--how hard have some tried to change that!--goes back to Babylon.)

I can suggest three books:

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#1. "FROM ONE TO ZERO" by G. Ifrah
	
	Evolution of various number *systems* as well as of *shapes*
	of numerals used to represent them; gets quite detailed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#2. "NUMBER: THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE" by Tobias Dantzig

	A truly delightful non-technical coverage of concepts and history. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3. "THE CREST OF THE PEACOCK: NON-EUROPEAN ROOTS OF MATHEMATICS"
    by G. V. Joseph

	A challenge to Euro-centrism. May well come to be regarded as
	the "Black Athena" of mathematics!
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Newsgroups: sci.math