A Story of Numbers | IT

Question 15

What is any landmark number multiplied by ?? (10210^2)? Find the following products—

Question diagram 1
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Solution
Understand the Question
  • The symbol ?? represents the landmark number 102=10×10=10010^2 = 10 \times 10 = 100.
  • Multiplying any landmark number by 10210^2 (or 100100) increases its value by two powers of 1010.
  • To evaluate each expression, determine the numerical value of the given symbol and multiply it by 100100.
?=102=10×10=100\begin{aligned} ? &= 10^2 \\ &= 10 \times 10 \\ &= 100 \end{aligned}

Diagram 1

(i) Find the product ×?\cap \times ?

Step 1 · Calculate the Product for (i)

Diagram 2

The symbol \cap represents the number 00. =0\cap = 0

Multiply by ?=100? = 100

×?=0×100=0\begin{aligned} \cap \times ? &= 0 \times 100 \\ &= 0 \end{aligned}
Answer

(i) 00

(ii) Find the product ?×?? \times ?

Step 1 · Calculate the Product for (ii)

Diagram 3

Substitute ?=100? = 100

?×?=100×100=10000\begin{aligned} ? \times ? &= 100 \times 100 \\ &= 10000 \end{aligned}
Answer

(ii) 1000010000

(iii) Find the product for symbol (iii) ×?\times ?

Step 1 · Calculate the Product for (iii)

Diagram 4

The symbol represents the unit landmark number 11. Symbol in (iii)=1\text{Symbol in (iii)} = 1

Multiply by ?=100? = 100

Symbol in (iii)×?=1×100=100\begin{aligned} \text{Symbol in (iii)} \times ? &= 1 \times 100 \\ &= 100 \end{aligned}
Answer

(iii) 100100

(iv) Find the product for symbol (iv) ×?\times ?

Step 1 · Calculate the Product for (iv)

Diagram 5

The symbol represents the landmark number 22. Symbol in (iv)=2\text{Symbol in (iv)} = 2

Multiply by ?=100? = 100

Symbol in (iv)×?=2×100=200\begin{aligned} \text{Symbol in (iv)} \times ? &= 2 \times 100 \\ &= 200 \end{aligned}
Answer

(iv) 200200

Common Mistakes
  • Exponent Misconception: Computing 10210^2 as 10×2=2010 \times 2 = 20 instead of 10×10=10010 \times 10 = 100.
  • Multiplication by Zero: Forgetting that any quantity multiplied by 00 results in 00 (0×100=00 \times 100 = 0).
  • Place Value Shift: When multiplying by 100100, ensure two zeros are placed after the number, e.g., 100×100=10,000100 \times 100 = 10{,}000 (not 1,0001{,}000).

More questions in IT

Q1

Q. Reema's curiosity was sparked, and questions started swirling in her head:

(i) Since when have humans been counting?

(ii) What was their need for counting? What were they counting?

(iii) Since when have people been writing numbers in the modern form?

(iv) How would the Mesopotamians have written 2020? 5050? 100100?

Q2

Context: Imagine that we are living in the Stone Age, say, around ten thousand years ago. Suppose we have a herd of cows.

Q. How do we ensure that all cows have returned safely after grazing?

Q3

Context: Imagine that we are living in the Stone Age, say, around ten thousand years ago. Suppose we have a herd of cows.

Q. Do we have fewer cows than our neighbour?

Q4

Context: Imagine that we are living in the Stone Age, say, around ten thousand years ago. Suppose we have a herd of cows.

Q. If there are fewer, how many more cows would we need so that we have the same number of cows as our neighbour?

Q5

Context: Suppose we have a herd of cows. We want to answer the following questions: Q2. Do we have fewer cows than our neighbour? Q3. If there are fewer, how many more cows would we need so that we have the same number of cows as our neighbour?

Q. How will you use such sticks to answer the other two questions (Q2 and Q3)?

Q6

How many numbers can you represent in this way using the sounds of the letters of your language?

Q7

Do you see a way of extending this method to represent bigger numbers as well? How?

Q8

Context: A group of indigenous people in Australia called the Gumulgal had the following words for their numbers:

  1. urapon
  2. ukasar
  3. ukasar-urapon
  4. ukasar-ukasar
  5. ukasar-ukasar-urapon
  6. ukasar-ukasar-ukasar

Q. Can you see how their number names are formed?

Q9

Context: A group of indigenous people in Australia called the Gumulgal had the following words for their numbers:

  1. urapon
  2. ukasar
  3. ukasar-urapon
  4. ukasar-ukasar
  5. ukasar-ukasar-urapon
  6. ukasar-ukasar-ukasar

Q. Can you see how the names of the other numbers are formed?

Q10

What could be the difficulties with using a number system that counts only in groups of a single particular size? How would you represent a number like 1345 in a system that counts only by 5s?

Q11

Do it yourself now:

(b) LXXXVII+LXXVIII\text{LXXXVII} + \text{LXXVIII}

Q12

How will you multiply two numbers given in Roman numerals, without converting them to Hindu numerals? Try to find the product of the following pairs of landmark numbers: V×LV \times L, L×DL \times D, V×DV \times D, VII×IXVII \times IX.

Q13

Instead of grouping together 10 collections of size equal to the previous landmark number (as in the case of the Egyptian system), can we get a number system by grouping together 5 collections of size equal to the previous landmark number? Can this 5 be replaced by any positive integer?

Q14

What is any landmark number multiplied by \cap (that is 1010)? Find the following products—

Each landmark number is a power of 1010 and so multiplying it with 1010 increases the power by 11, which is the next landmark number.

Q15

What is any landmark number multiplied by ?? (10210^2)? Find the following products—

Q16

Find the following products—

Thus, the product of any two landmark numbers is another landmark number!

Q17

Context: Thus, the product of any two landmark numbers is another landmark number!

Q. Does this property hold true in the base-5 system that we created? Does this hold for any number system with a base?

Q18

Now find the following products—

Q19

What would be a simple rule to multiply a number with \cap?

Q20

Context: To get an idea of how the abacus was used for calculations, let us consider a simple addition problem: 2907+432907 + 43. The two numbers were taken on either side of the vertical partition.

Q. How would you use this to find the sum?

Q21

Context: To get an idea of how the abacus was used for calculations, let us consider a simple addition problem: 2907+432907 + 43. The two numbers were taken on either side of the vertical partition. The counters along each line were brought together.

Q. What is to be done if the total in a line exceeded 1010?

Q22

Look at the representation of 60. What will be the representation for 3,600?

Q23

How is this to be read?

Q24

Represent the following numbers using the Mayan system:

(i) 77 (ii) 100 (iii) 361 (iv) 721

Q25

Where does the Hindu/Indian number system figure in the evolution of ideas of number representation? What are its landmark numbers? And does it use a place value system?

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