Counting in Base-20: A World Beyond Ten
Why do we count in tens? While it seems natural, many cultures from the Mayans to the Basques developed sophisticated base-20 systems, likely inspired by counting on both fingers and…
Tag: zero
The Shape of Nothing: How the Invention of ‘Zero’ Was a Linguistic and Mathematical Revolution
The concept of zero is more than just a number; it’s a profound linguistic and philosophical idea that had to be invented. This journey traces the word and symbol for…
Reading the Knots: Quipu, the Inca’s Mysterious 3D Writing System
What if writing wasn't flat on a page, but a three-dimensional web of information you could hold in your hands? The Inca Empire's Quipu, an intricate system of knotted, colorful…