I'm curious to see how others have handled the number systems of their worlds. Do your people do math like ours? Decimal system like Arabic numerals, or 20-based system like the Mayans? How do you write the numbers anyway? That is the main question, but it entails the others.

For me, every numeral is drawn as a part or whole of a circle. Attached is a document explaining there names and use and stuff, as well as what they look like. If there is HTML script leftover even after editing, my apologies. I made this first as a webpage when I was practicing HTML and so I might not be able to phase all that out.

The number system hasn't changed much. Just recently I realized the power of allowing the concentric inscriptions which the document says are not to be done, like a two around an eight. After all, how much easier would simplifying a fraction be if a number like 98 could be written as 7 x 7 x 2 just as easily? 98 divided by 7 no longer would be so difficult to figure if you could just see the sevens sitting there to be canceled. Some complicated maneuvers could be simplified with easy pen strokes, reducing error. So the way mathematicians use the numerals is still being worked out.

P.S., does anyone else have trouble seeing the pictures in the document? If so, try just clicking on one and adjusting its size, or adding spaces between them. Those tricks sometimes make them appear.

That's. Cool.

It reminds me of Myst.

I agree with Jaynin. That makes total sense! Can you please make a math curriculum I can use instead?

That is so amazing...

And ditto to Shawn!

Thanks for all the compliments you guys . They really do mean a lot to me to see that other fantasy writer/readers likes this stuff. As to making a new math curriculum, I don't know that I am qualified to do that... but I highly recommend Saxon textbooks by the author of the same name.

These are awesome, Reiyen! =) I guess your race is really good at drawing circles--I'd mess up and make the lines cross or something and my numbers would be illegible! =D

eruheran

Oh well. *sighs melodramatically* I use Saxon, actually.

I figured I might find a Saxon user somewhere on here... best textbook in the business at teaching. Only trouble is they get into some hard stuff... but they teach it well. But I digress... so I shall cease.

Your number system is brilliant, but it would be difficult to produce accurately. Distinguishing between these symbols if they were written in pencil, for instance, would be difficult, especially if they were produced in a hurry.

I write in this number system all the time, but I can see your point, especially with the zero-one-two difference being just rotation, likewise with the four-five. Of course, fours and nines in our world can look similar, likewise with zero and six, or one with seven, depending on your style of writing. Anything can be messed up if read without paying attention and written sloppily.

My first thought was also Myst.

I haven't given much thought to bases of counting in Lamar... I do love counting in binary though, you can use your hand as an abacus. Perhaps one of my races will use it. Hexadecimal is cool too but mostly because it has letters A-F as numbers so you can make words out of them.

Maybe they could have stamps that print the numbers.