Quote:
Originally posted by Tony Smith
Here's a trivia question. Why aren't Arabic "Arabic numerals" the same as Western "Arabic Numerals"? Did they lose something in the translation? Imagine numberplates if we still went with Roman Numerals.
Thanks be to Islam for Arabic Numbers, Alcohol and Barbecques!
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I think you answered your own question Tony...Arabic vs. Roman numerals is like comparing apples to oranges. They both had different origins.
Here's a question...we all know the Roman numeral for four is IV, so how come four on clock faces is often represented as IIII?
Don't thank Islam for Arabic numbers, alcohol, and barbeques. All three predate the birth of Islam, which arose around 600 A.D.
And lastly, we can thank the Arab world for our alphabet which evolved from Ugarit which dates to 1400 B.C.
CHIMO!