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--- oer:amc:topics:numeral_systems:start [2024/04/16 19:54] – [Positional Numeral System] rolf
+++ oer:amc:topics:numeral_systems:start [2024/04/16 19:56] (current) – [Positional Numeral System] rolf
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 A numeral is a single or combined symbol representing a number. A digt is an elementary numeral. Example: 652 is a numeral. It consists of the digits (elementary numerals or symbols) '6' (six), '5' (five), and '2' (two). The numeral 256 consists of the same set of digits, but in different order. The order of the digits matter! The position of a decimal place represents a power of 10. The '6' in 652 represents $6 \cdot 10^2 = 600$, whereas '6' in 256 denotes $6 \cdot 10^0 = 6$. The digits symbolize multipliers, the position the powers of 10 to multiply with.
-In the decimal system (base 10) ten symbols are necessary to define ten multipliers, e.g. the symbol (aka digit) '5' means 'multiply by five'. The ten elementary symbols used in the decimal system are $\{'0','1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9'\}$. You need as many symbols (multipliers) as the value of the base, e.g. ten symbols in the decimal system (= base 10).
+In the decimal system (base 10) ten symbols are necessary to define ten multipliers, e.g. the symbol (aka digit) '5' means 'multiply by five'. The ten elementary symbols used in the decimal system are $\{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9\}$. You need as many symbols (multipliers) as the value of the base, e.g. ten symbols in the decimal system (= base 10).
 The most striking achievement in modern numeral systems is that **the position of a symbol determines the power of 10** it has to be multiplied with. In the example $652$ the symbol $6$ at position 3 from the right has to be multiplied by $10^2$. The **position** is also known as **decimal place**.