Mayan Number System Worksheet

Mayan Number System

Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. This worksheet will test your knowledge of the ancient Mayan number system.

The Maya civilization, known for its advancements in astronomy, architecture, and mathematics, developed a unique and sophisticated number system. Unlike our base-10 system, the Mayan system was vigesimal (base-20) and also included a symbol for zero. Understanding this system provides insight into their intellectual achievements.

1. What base did the Mayan number system primarily use?

2. Which symbol represented zero in the Mayan number system?

3. In the Mayan number system, a single dot represents the number  .

4. A horizontal bar in the Mayan number system represents the number  .

5. The Mayan number system is considered a   system because the position of a symbol affects its value.

6. Explain how the Mayan number system used a vertical arrangement for place values.

7. Describe the significance of the zero symbol in the Mayan number system.

The Mayan number system uses dots for ones, bars for fives, and a shell-like symbol for zero. Numbers are written vertically, with each higher position representing a multiple of 20 (except for the third position, which is 18 x 20 for calendar calculations, but for general math, it's 20 x 20).

8. Write the Mayan numeral for the number 7:

9. Write the Mayan numeral for the number 19:

10. Write the Mayan numeral for the number 25:

11. The Mayan number system is a base-10 system.

12. The Mayan civilization developed a symbol for zero independently.