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Related Concept Videos

International System of Units01:29

International System of Units

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The International System of Units, known as the SI system, is a universally accepted measurement system recognized and used worldwide. The SI system is based on a set of three base units considered absolute, and their values do not change with location. These base units are meters, kilograms, and seconds.
Prefixes are used to define both larger and smaller quantities in the SI system. For example, milli, micro, and nano define smaller quantities, while kilo, mega, and giga are used to define...
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Measurement: Standard Units03:38

Measurement: Standard Units

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Every measurement provides three kinds of information: the size or magnitude of the measurement (a number), a standard of comparison for the measurement (a unit), and an indication of the uncertainty of the measurement. While the number and unit are explicitly represented when a quantity is written, the uncertainty is an aspect of the errors in the measurement results.
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Units of Measurement01:27

Units of Measurement

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Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest branches of engineering. It deals with designing, analyzing, and manufacturing machines and mechanical systems. To ensure precise and accurate calculations, units of measurement are used. They provide a standard system for expressing and comparing physical quantities.
There are various well-known historical measurement systems, such as the Babylonian system, the Roman system, the Egyptian system, the Olympian system, the British system, and the Indus...
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SI Units: 2019 Redefinition01:13

SI Units: 2019 Redefinition

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Measurement is an indispensable part of analytical chemistry. The result of measurement helps quantify a substance's physical property and compare it with the physical property of another substance. Each measurement comprises two components - a number indicating the magnitude and a unit of measurement as a standard for comparison. Further, the same quantity can be measured using different units of measurement, which leads to differences in magnitude.
A standard set of units has been defined...
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Units and Standards of Measurement01:10

Units and Standards of Measurement

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A physical quantity is defined either by specifying its measurement method or by stating how it is calculated from other measurements. For example, consider a metallic cube. We might define its mass and dimensions by specifying methods for measuring them, such as using a weighing machine and a meter scale. Then, we could define the volume by stating that it is the cube of its side, and we could calculate the density as the mass divided by the volume.
Measurements of physical quantities are...
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Numerical Calculations01:24

Numerical Calculations

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In engineering applications, the representation of the numerical value is critical. Presenting or reporting the answer is one of the essential parts of engineering practices. Numerical calculations are performed using handheld calculators or computers since numerically accurate answers are always preferred.
The solution to a problem is obtained using different methods. While manually solving algebraic symbols is one of the most common methods, the graphical method is often preferred. Computers...
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Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod
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Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

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Decimal systems around the world.

Ezequiel Koile1,2, Damián Blasi3,4

  • 1Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, San Miguel 15088, Lima, Peru.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|October 20, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Decimal numeral systems are common globally. Despite surface irregularities like allomorphy and suppletion, their underlying mathematical structure is highly regular and patterned, shaped by linguistic constraints.

Keywords:
anchorbase-10canonicitycompositionalitydecimal systemsnumeralstransparency

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Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Cognitive Science
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • Decimal numeral systems (base-10) are globally prevalent, often assumed to offer functional advantages.
  • Their structure ideally involves compositions of ten and smaller numerals, but many languages show deviations.
  • These irregularities, including allomorphy and suppletion, have not been systematically analyzed at scale.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a rule-based classification for decimal numeral systems.
  • To systematically analyze deviations from perfect decimality across languages.
  • To assess decimal systems based on transparency, canonicity, and compositionality.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a rule-based classification for decimal systems.
  • Curated a genealogically and geographically balanced sample of 118 languages.
  • Assessed systems along dimensions of transparency, canonicity, and compositionality.

Main Results:

  • Surface-level irregularities in decimal systems are widespread across languages.
  • Despite irregularities, the underlying mathematical structure of decimal systems is highly regular and patterned.
  • Deviations from perfect decimality are not random but structured, influenced by historical, cognitive, and typological factors.

Conclusions:

  • The ubiquity of decimal systems is not solely due to functional advantages but also shaped by linguistic constraints.
  • Irregularities in decimal number systems reflect structured variation rather than random linguistic drift.
  • Further research can explore the interplay of cognitive, historical, and typological factors in shaping numeration systems.