Mathematics
 One
thinks that the basic concepts of mathematics between the Mayans were originated
with the Olmecas. The Zapotecas also used a system very similar to the one of
the Mayans. The system nevertheless was refined and elevated at other levels by
the Mayan town. The mathematical one of the Mayans is easy to use. The Mayan system
of count required only three symbols: a point = one, a bar = five, and one shell
= to zero. These three symbols were used in the several combinations so that the
people who did not count on specialized education could make the simple Arithmetic.
The Mayans also used the symbols for the numbers from the 0 to the 19 instead
of the points and I sweep. These symbol sometimes is called ' símboló
of head because they had the form of different human heads.
These
symbols could be separated or to be combined with the points and bars to do I
number. For example, you could have a head symbol that symbolized number 15 and
next to him 4 I sweep doing the amount of to 19.
 The
Mayans long before understood the value of the zero that almost all the civilizations
and this was one of the incredible advantages but for the Mayans, because they
used this to make advanced calculations but. The system of the Mayan enumeration
this based on 20 instead of 10. This means that instead of the 1, 10, 100, and
10.000 of our mathematical system, the Mayan used 1, 20, 400, 8.000 and 160,000.
The Mayan numbers are written of down
upwards. For example, 19 they are three bars that count 15 with four points in
the top. Great numbers but that 19 were represented by the same class of succession,
but a point was position on the whole number for each group of 20. The twenty
were represented by a shell with a point raises. For example, to write 31 (two
I sweep and a point) with a point upon which it represents an additional group
of 20. The Mayan numbers were easy to use and helped all the population to add
and to reduce, for example, to add 9 and 6 you would have a bar and four points
in a side (9) and one sweep with a point (6) in the other. Both they would be
united to make three bars that represent 15.
|
