Prasad Positional Number System 1

VEDIC MATHEMATICS :
Positional Number System
T. K. Prasad
http://www.cs.wright.edu/~tkprasad
Prasad Positional Number System 2
Symbols for numbers:
Hindu Arabic System
Read as blank.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
1
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2

1
1 1
1 2
1 3
1 4
1 5
1 6
1 7
1 8
1 9
1 1

Need care
when writing
(aligning)
numbers
with blanks.
1
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2

1
1 1
1 2
1 3
1 4
1 5
1 6
1 7
1 8
1 9
1 1

Prasad Positional Number System 3
Invention of Zero
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
1 ,11,12,
..
1 , 1 1, 1 2,

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
10,11,12,
..
100, 101, 102,

Attributed to Indian Mathematicians.
In fact, zero thrust itself upon us in the context
of positional number system!
Prasad Positional Number System 4
Names of Zero
Hindu Sunya (void/empty)
Arabic Sifir (vacant)
Roman Cifra
Latin Zephirum or Zephyrum
English Zero, Cipher
Prasad Positional Number System 5
Vedic Mathematics
Vedas: Texts from Ancient India in Sanskrit
Mathematics: Study of quantity (how
much?), change (how fast? ), space
(shapes),
Vedic Mathematics is the mathematical
knowledge of ancient Hindus passed down
through generations (initially verbally and
later codified) as slokas (verses) in Sanskrit.
Prasad Positional Number System 6
Invention vs Discovery
Discovery is finding out
what exists but previously
unknown
Discovery of America by
Christopher Columbus (of
Spain) in October 1492
Discovery of Helium by Sir
William Ramsay
Ref: Sun, Balloon
Discovery of Galaxies by
Edwin P. Hubble
Number zero was discovered.
Invention is something
you create out of
imagination
Invention of Car
Invention of Wheel
Invention of
Computers
Invention of Television

Symbol zero was invented.
Prasad Positional Number System 7
Why base 10?
10 fingers, 10 toes, ?
Alternatives
Base 60 (Babylonian Cunieform)
Upto 59 by crescent (weight 10) and wedge (weight 1)
"<< VVV" = 2*10 + 3*1 = 23
"< VV << VVV" = 12*60 + 23*1 = 743
=> 1 hour = 60 minutes, 1 minute = 60 seconds,
=> 1 year ~ 360 days, 1 day = 24 hours
24 = 1 x 2 x 3 x 4; 60 = 1 x 2 x 3 x 2 x 5
Base 2 (Modern)
Two eyes, two ears, two hands, two legs, ?
Digital Computers based on switches {0, 1}
Prasad Positional Number System 8
Dashavtar
1. Matsya (fish),
2. Kurma (tortoise),
3. Varaha (boar),
4. Narasimha (man-lion),
5. Vamana (dwarf man),
6. Parashuram
7. Ram (moral man),
8. Krishna (philosophical /
practical man)
9. Balaram
10. Kalki
Prasad Positional Number System 9
Symbols for numbers :
Hindi (Devanagari) Numerals
Prasad Positional Number System 10
Representing Numbers :
Positional System
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
For larger numbers:
Problem: cannot keep inventing new symbols
Solution: use finite number of symbols with
Position-based Weighting
52 = 5 * 10 + 2
743 = 7 * 100 + 4 * 10 + 3
Prasad Positional Number System 11
Positions and Weights
TEN-
THOUSANDS
THOUSANDS HUNDREDS TENS UNITS
43210
=
4 * 10,000
+ 3 * 1,000
+ 2 * 100
+ 1 * 10
+ 0
Prasad Positional Number System 12
Exercises
1a) Local Values
1b-e) Verbalizing Numbers
Prasad Positional Number System 13
Large Numbers
Hard Disk Storage in 30 GB IPod
30 x 1024 x 1024 x 1024 bytes (30 Giga bytes)
= 32,212,254,720 bytes
Number of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy
About 100,000,000,000 (100 billion)
Googol
One followed by 100 zeros
Googolplex
One followed by Googol zeros