Mayan Number System Worksheet

Mayan Number System Worksheet

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?

2. What Mayan symbol represented the number one?

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.