Detsimaalsüsteem

Detsimaalsüsteem, also known as the decimal system, is the standard numerical system used worldwide. It is a positional numeral system that uses ten as its base, meaning it has ten unique digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The value of each digit in a decimal number depends on its position. Moving from right to left, each position represents a power of ten: the units place (10^0), the tens place (10^1), the hundreds place (10^2), and so on. For example, in the number 345, the 5 is in the units place, the 4 is in the tens place, and the 3 is in the hundreds place, representing 300 + 40 + 5.

The detsimmaalsüsteem originated in India and was later transmitted to the Arab world, from where it spread to Europe. Its development was crucial for advancements in mathematics, science, and commerce due to its efficiency and ease of use compared to earlier numeral systems. The inclusion of the digit zero is particularly significant, as it acts as a placeholder and allows for the representation of numbers of any magnitude. This system is fundamental to arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, forming the basis for most modern computation.