It seems that the ancient Egyptian system uses more symbols than the Babylonian system. Also, we know more about what their symbols mean. It seemed with the Babylonian symbols it was just a variance of different tick marks but the Egyptian system had meaning behind the different symbols, perhaps connected to when this number was commonly used. I think the Babylonian symbols seemed easier to write than the more intricate symbols the Egyptians used such as the flower, or figure for 1 000 000. The Egyptian system seems closer to the base 10 system we use today. Roman numerals seem more similar to the Babylonian system in the sense that it's just tick marks at different angles but it is more similar to base 10, like the Egyptian system.
Hi Christine, nice discussion, here. I wonder if there is a story behind the choice of symbols in the ancient Egyptian method. Which method do you find more inviting? (or perhaps both)
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