AFGHANISTAN

by Don L. F. Nilsenand Alleen Pace Nilsen

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Chaderi & chapan Donkey saddle

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Javid, chaderi, & nan

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Afghan Slate Board & Alleen Teaching about Afghanistan

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Safid Riche (White Beard): Wise Person& Afghan Mullah (e.g. Nasruddin)

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ROMAN NUMERALS: I V X L C M

• If you have ever tried to write big numbers in Roman numerals, you have some idea of how much easier it is to use Arabic numbers with zeroes.

• Roman numerals were designed for accounting (sacks of grain, etc.) One thing was I; two things were II; three things were III.

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I V X L C M• Roman numerals looked like human hands.

It was too difficult to see more than four individual strokes, so after four a line was drawn across the IIII to make V. And after V plus IIII a line was drawn the other way against the VIIII to make X. For higher numbers new letters were needed so we get L for fifty, C for 100, M for 1000 and so on.

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ARABIC NUMBERS:٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩• We use a Roman alphabet for our writing system, but we don’t use the

Roman numeral system for addition, subtraction, multiplication or division because it’s too cumbersome.

• Whenever you count or do math, you are paying homage to Arabic mathematicians.

• As English speakers, we took our numbering system from the Arabs. The reason we did this is that the Arabs figured out how to use a zero as a place marker.

• Arabic zero ٠ looks like English 0. They are both circles, however the Arabic circle has a radius of zero.

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٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩• Arabic ١, like English 1 has one stroke.

• Arabic ٢ like English 2 has two strokes. The English 2 is the same as the Arabic except that it is sideways.

• Arabic ٣ has three strokes, and is like an English 3 only sideways.

• Arabic ٩ is like English 9.

• See if you can use these numbers to connect the dots to finish drawing the Blue Mosque, which was one of the prettiest buildings in Kabul. Click here to see the image and print it.

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Web Site:

AFGHANISTAN:http://www.public.asu.edu/~apnilsen/afghanistan4kids/

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