A brief history of numerical systems - Alessandra King
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TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... and 0. With just these ten symbols, we can write any rational number imaginable. But why these particular symbols? Why ten of them? And why do we arrange them the way we do? Alessandra King gives a brief history of numerical systems.
What is the difference between additive and positional numerical systems and what are the benefits and disadvantages of using one system rather than the other? Can you think of some instances in which we still use tally marks or similar tools?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Alessandra King
- Director Michael Kalopaidis
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Producer Zedem Media
- Illustrator Jeanne Bornet
- Animator Maria Savva
- Sound Designer Andreas Trachonitis
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Julianna Zarzycki
