Abstract
HAVING never met with any explanation of the origin of the numerals, or rather of the figures symbolising them, perhaps I am right in supposing that nothing satisfactory is known of it. In that case the following may be interesting to your readers. The first column contains the original figures, each containing as many lines as the number which it is intended to represent. The other columns show the transitions likely to result from quick writing.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DONISTHORPE, W. Origin of the Numerals. Nature 12, 476 (1875). https://doi.org/10.1038/012476b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/012476b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.