THE EGYPTIAN NUMBER SYSTEM Grade 6 Math - Lesson 02

The Egyptians were not concerned with the order of the symbols—something that is crucial today. This number system was used to perform calculations involving whole numbers. Their technique consisted of performing all mathematical operations through addition.

Learn to count like the Egyptians: The Egyptian Number System.

The Egyptian number system was based on seven key numbers: 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, and 1,000,000.

A vertical stroke represented 1 unit;

An inverted heel bone represented the number 10;

A coil of rope was worth 100 units;

A lotus flower was worth 1,000;

A bent finger was worth 10,000;

A tadpole represented 100,000 units;

A kneeling figure, perhaps representing a god, was worth 1,000,000.