"Hind art of reckoning" refers to the system of calculation using the Indian numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and the decimal place-value system, which originated in ancient India.
This system was revolutionary because it allowed for efficient arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) in a way that previous systems (like Roman numerals or abacus-based calculations) did not easily permit.
Key aspects include:
- Numerals: The ten symbols (0-9) that form the basis of the system.
- Place Value: The value of a digit depends on its position within the number (e.g., in '123', the '1' represents 1 hundred, the '2' represents 2 tens, and the '3' represents 3 ones).
- Zero: The crucial concept and symbol for zero as a placeholder and a number in its own right.
This "Hind art of reckoning" was famously documented and transmitted to the Arab world by the Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi around 825 CE in his book Kitāb al-Jamʿ wa-l-tafrīq bi-ḥisāb al-Hind (Book of Addition and Subtraction According to the Hindu Calculation).
This work was later translated into Latin in the 12th century (possibly as Algoritmi de numero Indorum or Liber Algorismi), which was instrumental in introducing the system to Europe. The methods described became known as "algorism" or "algorithm," derived from Al-Khwarizmi's name.
In essence, the "Hind art of reckoning" is the foundation of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, the numerical system used globally today.
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