Here's a breakdown:
* Indian origin: The system itself, with its ten digits (0-9) and place value system, was developed in India around the 5th century AD.
* Arab transmission: Arab mathematicians, particularly in the 9th century, learned about this system and then played a crucial role in spreading it across the Islamic world and ultimately to Europe.
Key features of the Indo-Arabic numeral system:
* Decimal base: The system uses ten digits, representing the numbers from zero to nine.
* Place value: The position of a digit in a number determines its value. For example, in the number 123, the "1" represents one hundred, the "2" represents twenty, and the "3" represents three.
* Zero: The introduction of zero was a crucial development in the system. It allowed for representing the absence of a value and enabled the use of place value effectively.
Why the name "Indo-Arabic"?
The term "Indo-Arabic" reflects the system's origins and the key role played by both Indian and Arab mathematicians in its development and transmission.
The adoption of the Indo-Arabic system had a significant impact on the development of mathematics. It provided a more efficient and versatile way of representing numbers, leading to advancements in arithmetic, algebra, and other mathematical disciplines.