Sur l'origine des chiffres arabes

Abstract

Sur l'origine des chiffres arabes A. Boucenna 1 From the pagination of an Algerian Arabic manuscript of the beginning of the 19th century,we rediscover the original shape that the Arabic numerals had before passing in Europe and underwent the transformation that gave the modern Arabic numerals. This original shape,whose use disappeared completely, proves that these numerals have their origin in the Arabic letters. Contrary to what some hypotheses pretend, particularly those that present them as drifting of Indian characters, the 10 Arabic numerals that we use are, nothing else, 10 Arabic letters more or less modified and taken in the "Abjadi" order. The hypothesis of the Indian origin of the Arabic numerals is revealed a mistake denied by the shape of the Arabic numerals and by the logic of the right to left representation of the numbers and the algorithm of the elementary operations. The Arabic numerals that simplified the writing of the numbers and the algorithms of the elementary operations are believed to be born in the Maghreb(North Africa). From Bejaia (Bougie) they passed in to Europe to give, after evolution, the modern Arabic numerals : 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. they also migrate to the Middle East (the Mashrek) to give, after transformations in shape and adding two Hebrew letters, the Arabic numerals, "Mashrekis", that are used currently in Middle East.