Basic Mathematics

Author(s): L C Jain
Publisher: Rajasthan Prakrit Bharti Sansthan Jaipur

Page 54

Let L151413 denote the product of L, 5, 4 and 3. If L or one lac is subtracted from this product the remaining quantity is written as
The quantity less 5 lacs is denoted as
C
The quantity less 20 lacs is denoted as
1
L 5 4 3
The quantity less 3 lacs is denoted as
The quantity less 12 lacs is denoted as
The quantity less 15 lacs is denoted as
The quantity less 30 lacs is denoted as
85.
Cf. ibid, p. 9.
or
1 151473
L
37
1
L 543
This type of place value has been used for fractional as well as other types of complicated quantities. Thus the credit goes to this school for being able to follow the way of place value notation for zero, which was also used for subtraction notation85. For example, the expression for one lac less one could be denoted as 0
1 L
L 31413
1 £
L 543
1 C L 543
In the above
stands for minus. Long before, in the Tiloypaṇṇatti, frm word was in use for minus and it is just possible that it was cut short as f and further as f and then as
2 £
L 543
LO 1