this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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[–] aesc@lemmy.sdf.org 94 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Yes, ha ha, but Arabic Numerals, with a capital N, refers to ٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ that’s 9 through 0 read left-to-right because Arabic is written right-to-left. While you can see how the West adopted numerals based on Arabic ones eight hundred years ago (thanks to Fibonacci), we only call them Arabic numerals, with a lowercase n, to distinguish them from the Roman numerals we were historically using. Today they aren’t really Arabic anymore, and I don’t know why you’d learn Arabic Numerals unless you were learning to read and write Arabic.

[–] creation7758@lemmy.ml 41 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Just some random guy who is not particularly educated about the subject here.

I think that's how the Arabs of today depict Arabic numerals. Both are Arabic numerals and there are many other scripts, for instance many variations of brahmic scripts that depict the Arabic numerals using various notations.

So both are Arabic numerals using different notations and adapted to be used alongside their own writing system.

[–] creation7758@lemmy.ml 37 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Also, just to add, while it is known as Arabic numerals, it originated from India, so it's often also known as the Hindu-Arabic numerals. It's mostly known as Arabic numerals to the west because they came to know the numerology of the system via the Arabs. What makes the numerals is not the symbols, but other characteristics of the system such as the positional notation and the decimal base

[–] lugal@lemmy.ml 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The Arabs adopted the numbers from India and refere to them as Indian Numbers. I think the system is therefore sometimes called Indo-Arabic Numbers.

So rather than brahmic using an adaptation of Arabic Numbers, it's the other way around.

[–] kokopelli@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

I’ve seen it called Arabic Indic as well

[–] bort@feddit.de 17 points 9 months ago

we only call them Arabic numerals, with a lowercase n,

[x] doubt

[–] thesprongler@lemmy.world 72 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

Yes XXIX

No LVII

No opinion XIV

[–] JackLSauce@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago
[–] phorq@lemmy.ml 10 points 9 months ago

Thank you for the translation, I was really struggling with those weird symbols they were using.

[–] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 1 points 9 months ago

Tell me more of your impressive bird

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 63 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What's next? Latin alphabet? Imperial measurements? Once you let one it, the others will follow!

[–] DSTGU@sopuli.xyz 42 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I feel like that is an example of the slippery slope fallacy. Latin alphabet I can understand, but no normal country would voluntairly choose imperial measurements system

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 13 points 9 months ago

True. Especially after fighting a war of independence against the imperium

[–] msage@programming.dev 11 points 9 months ago

FREEDOM UNITS!1!

[–] BlackPenguins@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I will not allow the measurements for the galactic empire being taught in our schools!

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 1 points 9 months ago

It has been since many cycles but it will end any arn from now

[–] Prandom_returns@lemm.ee 47 points 9 months ago

This is how Brexit happened.

[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 9 months ago (1 children)

We should switch to base twelve.

[–] CheesyFox@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (2 children)

base sixteen is the future

[–] otacon239@feddit.de 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

IMO everyone would be better off if we had learned math in hexadecimal

[–] Nualkris@lemmy.world 24 points 9 months ago

LVII% of the people can't be wrong!

[–] HanzAndHisFlammenwerfer@eviltoast.org 23 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] bleistift2@feddit.de 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

I guess you could reproduce that survey in any western country. I can’t think of many people who know “our” [Edit: numerals] are called “Arabic”.

[–] manucode@feddit.de 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

In Völklingen, Germany, this Nazi didn't understand why the audience was laughing as he promised to end the use of Arabic house numbers once elected mayor.

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[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Speaking as a Dane, I literally can't think of anyone I know personally who's older than 10 and DOESN'T know..

[–] bleistift2@feddit.de 3 points 9 months ago

Scandinavia doesn’t count. You’re the educational masters. 🤓

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 17 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Now ask them how they feel about dihydrogen monoxide or women's suffrage.

[–] SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Should the government spend millions of your tax dollars to ensure every single home has uninterrupted supply of clean dihydrogen monoxide?

[–] Kase@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Tbf you could ask that one plainly and I know several people who would answer no :/

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Hydrogen hydroxide is both and acid AND a base, and it's served to students at school!

[–] Chriswild@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

It has a PH of 7 and the government pumps it into your home!

[–] nebula42 9 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Why tf is there a no opinion if you don't have one don't vote

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 17 points 9 months ago

I respect people that have no opinion. Not everyone is going to know everything about every subject. Saying "I don't know enough about this subject to have an opinion" should be considered completely valid.

Case in point, someone that doesn't know that Arabic Numerals are the ubiquitous number system in the world saying "I dunno" is way better than someone else that also doesn't know this being pressured to give an answer. It's certain that the 57% of the people that answered "No" were thinking that American schools should just teach the numerals they were taught and didn't know Arabic numerals actually were what they were taught.

Then we can make assumptions about people being racist for simply not knowing some math terminology. While there are indeed people that are racist, I think people simply not knowing the terminology is a more significant factor in this poll. It can be difficult to interpret polling data even in the best of times, and online polls are meaningless besides that.

But it's fun to point and laugh at people that don't know correct terminology I guess.

[–] mogoh@lemmy.ml 9 points 9 months ago

People want to see the results, so they would vote anything if there is no "no opinion" option.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You can’t have one without Arabic numerals in the first place.

[–] Communist@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 months ago

"I" begs to differ

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 6 points 9 months ago

I read this as roman numerals and didnt get the joke.

Took my a second go to get it

[–] ivanafterall@kbin.social 6 points 9 months ago

Let's leave the Arabic numerals to the Arabians.