Persian Numerals
It may not seem like it, but all of the photographs above contain numbers. They don't look like the numbers that most of us have grown up with because they're written using a different number system. While we use Hindu-Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...) the numbers in these photographs are Persian numerals, as demonstrated below:
Here we can see the Hindu-Arabic numerals in the top row, which we are accustomed to, along with the corresponding Persian numerals below. Here you can see the digits 0 through 9, as well as a representation of the number 10. Just like with the Hindu-Arabic system, 10 is made from the numerals for 1 and 0, placed next to each other.
I found it fascinating to look for Persian numerals as I traveled through Iran. As you can see, they were easiest to spot on license plates, price lists, and paper money. And with the money, they even had Hindu-Arabic numerals on the opposite sides. But it was a lot of fun to try and learn the numerals so I could tell which numbers were which by myself.
Sample Problems
1. What are the numbers on the books in the first image, from left to right?
2. What are the prices in the window display in the middle image, from top to bottom?
3. What is the license plate number in the third image?
4. Research Eastern Arabic numerals. Which digits are the same as the Persian numerals? Which are different?
5. Research Urdu numerals. Which digits are the same as the Persian numerals? Which are different?
6. Which number system is represented in the images below (taken in Iraqi Kurdistan)? What are the prices of the various fruits?
7. Why might these different sets of numerals contain many of the same figures but also some different ones?
