Mayan Number System Worksheet
Explore the fascinating Mayan number system, understanding its base-20 structure and unique symbols for numbers.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Mayan Number System Worksheet
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your knowledge. This worksheet will test your understanding of the Mayan number system.
The Mayan civilization used a unique number system that was vigesimal (base-20). It also used a positional system, similar to our own, where the position of a symbol determines its value. The three basic symbols were a dot (•) for one, a bar (—) for five, and a shell ( ) for zero.
1. What base did the Mayan number system primarily use?
Base-10
Base-20
Base-2
Base-60
2. What Mayan symbol represented the number one?
A bar
A shell
A dot
A spiral
3. The Mayan symbol for zero was a .
4. A single bar in the Mayan number system represented the number .
5. Explain how the positional system worked in Mayan numerals.
6. Convert the following Mayan numeral to a base-10 number: • — (Hint: Remember the values increase by powers of 20 as you go up.)
7. Convert the base-10 number 25 to a Mayan numeral.
8. The Mayan number system did not have a symbol for zero.
True
False