Decimal System
It is suspected that our decimal system originated with the ancient practice of counting on fingers, first with one hand, later wih both hands. Thus the use of the number ten as our number base. In fact, the word decimal is derived from the Latin word for ten, decem, and the word digit means "finger" or "toe," as well as referring to the numerals 0 to 9. However, among the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations (beginning with the Sumerians), base 60 was the earliest positional numbering system developed. Remnants of the base 60 system are still evident today in our division of degrees, hours, and minutes.
Like the history of many mathematical discoveries, the exact origins of our base ten (decimal) system are somewhat unclear. As noted earlier, the base 60, or sexagesimal system, was commonly used among the Babylonians around 1900-1800 b.c. By 300 b.c., India had adopted and modified the Babylonian system, changing from base 60 to base ten. However, the system was also evident in China around the same period, and history often credits both civilizations with the development of the decimal system. A plate, believed to be from the period a.d. 595 and of Indian origin, containing the date a.d. 346 in decimal place value notation is the oldest evidence of Indian use. In the early sixth century the Indian astronomer Arybhata produced an important book, also called Arybhata. The book contained astronomical tables, a study of arithmetic, time and measure, and the sphere of the earth. The arithmetic section is especially noteworthy, including numeration by 10, up to 108, and written procedures for using a decimal place value system of nine numerals and a tenth sign that functioned as a zero.
From China and India, the decimal system may have spread to Persia and Egypt, and later it became widely used in Arabia and Greece. With the introduction of Hindu-Arabic numerals into Europe in the twelfth century, the system evolved into the familiar decimal system used almost universally today.
Scottish mathematician John Napier, best known for his invention of logarithms in 1614, was especially intrigued by the decimal system. He studied the history of Arabic notation, tracing it to its Indian sources. Aside from studying the notation, Napier developed his own base two ( binary) system, and he was the first to use and popularize the decimal point to separate a whole number from the fractional part of a number.
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