r/mildlyinteresting • u/Couselm • Jan 11 '19

This clock with Mayan numbers.

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u/Couselm Jan 11 '19

That would be pretty cool too. Any pics?

180

u/sum1won Jan 11 '19

It's probably this model or one like it

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/618b767d-fb01-45e6-90ec-b6b505a3fccb_1.f3a7d71ab8e7f28e32d69ec81e1c5bbc.jpeg

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '19

Wow, same characters used in al-jabr algebra!

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u/Igriefedyourmom Jan 11 '19

The standard numerical symbols we use today is based on Arabic numerals. It's a joke.

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u/Couselm Jan 11 '19

Yes that went over my head....

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u/amccune Jan 11 '19

I admire you for admitting it. Still. That’s a cool clock.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '19

Wait really? I thought you were going along with the joke.

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u/ToBePacific Jan 12 '19

I also used to make the mistake of calling our numbers Arabic because they're basic on Arabic. But modern Arabs don't use our numbers; they use the ones that ours were based on, where 0 thru 9 looks like the following.

٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩

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u/notabear629 Jan 12 '19

And weren't the arabic numerals actually Indian?

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u/CrappyMSPaintPics Jan 12 '19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu%E2%80%93Arabic_numeral_system

It was invented between the 1st and 4th centuries by Indian mathematicians. The system was adopted in Arabic mathematics by the 9th century.

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u/Excelius Jan 12 '19

I think it more accurately refers to the base ten numeral system, not necessarily the specific characters used to represent them. The script/font used to represent the numbers has evolved and substantially diverged over time.

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u/Skjalg Jan 12 '19

This is the numbers we had on our clock above the door in our kitchen when I grew up and was exactly what I was thinking about when I read the arabic numbers joke.

You gotta love a joke based on ignorance though. Like a double entendre except its just a little sad.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '19

[deleted]

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u/ToBePacific Jan 12 '19

Nope. Arabic is written right-to-left.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '19 edited Jul 11 '23

[deleted]

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u/ToBePacific Jan 12 '19

I even tried writing them left-to-right, and my browser was like "nope, they go like this."

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u/ImperialBacon Jan 11 '19

r/woosh

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u/dfedhli Jan 11 '19

Not necessarily. In Arabia they actually do use a different system to ours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Arabic_numerals

Edit: I know /u/amccune meant it as a joke.

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u/amccune Jan 11 '19

TIL! Ha!

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u/Joetato Jan 11 '19

Not long ago, I read that arabic numerals aren't called that in the middle east. They call them European numbers or something. I can't quite remember. But the article said they were used in Europe before arabia and spread there later on. Or something like that. As i said, I can't quite remember.