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Should schools in America teach Arabic numerals as part of the standard curriculum?

Should schools in America teach Arabic numerals as part of the curriculum?

  • Total voters
    38
TheGoverness said:
I don't see what the issue of teaching arabic numerals is. Maybe that's because I'm not some stupid conspiracy theorist that thinks that all the mooslims are gonna kill the white people.
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I keep asking the question in this thread.

They are characters. Knowing them can be helpful and I cannot think of any scenario where knowing an arabic number is detrimental to anyone.
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No one gives an actual answer. One guy suggested it was because X time XVII is too hard but those are roman numerals.
 
You guys, I am getting a little confused here with this discussion. The numeral system we are using and teaching our kids in the USA today is ALREADY the Arabic numeral system.

"Arabic numerals are the ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The term often implies a number written in the Hindu–Arabic numeral system[1] (where the position of a digit indicates the power of 10 to multiply it by), the most common system for the symbolic representation of numbers in the world today."
Arabic numerals - Wikipedia
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The system of Arabic numerals was introduced into Europe by the medieval Italian mathematician Fibonacci in the 13th century while he was on a trip to North Africa. Before that, Europe was using the Roman numeral system. At first, the church vehemently opposed the new system, calling it a pagan system. But as soon as it was introduced, mathematicians all over Europe quickly realized it was a much better way of doing things, and adapted it quickly. Have you tried doing long division with Roman numerals? LOL.
 
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ataraxia said:
You guys, I am getting a little confused here with this discussion. The numeral system we are using and teaching our kids in the USA today is ALREADY the Arabic numeral system.



The system of Arabic numerals was introduced into Europe by the medieval Italian mathematician Fibonacci in the 13th century while he was on a trip to North Africa. Before that, Europe was using the Roman numeral system. At first, the church vehemently opposed the new system, calling it a pagan system. But as soon as it was introduced, mathematicians all over Europe quickly realized it was a much better way of doing things, and adapted it quickly. Have you tried doing long division with Roman numerals? LOL.
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And yet one or two people seem not to have known that:

Acadia said:
Should Madrasas teach Latin?
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Kreton said:
No one said they were replacing Roman Numerals. Nothing suggests that anyone does math using either of those methods. Learning numbers is not a bad, damaging, or scary thing. They are characters. Knowing them can be helpful and I cannot think of any scenario where knowing an arabic number is detrimental to anyone.
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I would say not knowing them is detrimental being that anytime of numbers expressed outside of an old fashioned clock they're expressed in Arabic numerals.
 
Maybe once the kid can read at a 6th grade level. Maybe know a little English, do a little math.
Schools are struggling to educate our kids with basic things. Lets get that right then worry
about Arabic numerals.
 
As an elective... why not/?
 
Silly trick question is silly.
 
beefheart said:
Don't forget, many stars have Arabic names! We need to make astronomy American again!

List of Arabic star names - Wikipedia
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By giving me reason to peruse the noted list, you just reminded me of having been party to a substance-enhanced conversation a friend had with me and several others at a party. His thesis, predicated on "Jabba" being an Anglicized spelling of "Jabbah," was that Jabba the Hutt was a composite analogue for Gaddafi and other "rogue" Arab state leaders. I don't recall the correlates he drew in support of his thesis, or much else about that party....
 
A unified english language and civics education seems to be a more reasonable priority right now.

I enjoy extra languages but they are for fun and not necessary to unite Americans.
 
akyron said:
A unified english language and civics education seems to be a more reasonable priority right now.

I enjoy extra languages but they are for fun and not necessary to unite Americans.
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Arabic numerals are as follows, 1,2,3,4,5... And so on. You have to have some understanding of numbers in order to understand the most basic math. Even if you wrote them out like four, or six. You're just spelling the title of an Arabic numeral.
 
Threegoofs said:
I just heard about this, and it disturbed me.

Kids as young as six years old in some school districts are being forced to learn this.

A larger, national poll has already been done, but I'm curious as how the DP crowd will vote.


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Based on the responses in in this thread I surmise a village has been depopulated of its idiots.
 
CLAX1911 said:
Have you ever seen like numbers on a license plate or on a calculator perhaps? Those are Arabic numerals. If we didn't Express numbers in a certain way we couldn't understand math
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I assumed by the OP and the fact that we are having a discussion that he meant this.

Numbers 1-10(١- أقرام ١٠)
 
CLAX1911 said:
Arabic numerals are as follows, 1,2,3,4,5... And so on. You have to have some understanding of numbers in order to understand the most basic math. Even if you wrote them out like four, or six. You're just spelling the title of an Arabic numeral.
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أنت لا معنى له.
 
Threegoofs said:
I just heard about this, and it disturbed me.

Kids as young as six years old in some school districts are being forced to learn this.

A larger, national poll has already been done, but I'm curious as how the DP crowd will vote.


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What do these Arabic numerals look like?
 
I am more than a bit amazed how this thread is soaring over some people's heads here.

I guess I shouldn't be....
 
Kreton said:
I assumed by the OP and the fact that we are having a discussion that he meant this.

Numbers 1-10(١- أقرام ١٠)
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Yes essentially the characters are 0 through 9. They repeat into two digit 3 digit and so forth.

If we don't teach children those numbers what do we teach them?
 
Kreton said:
I assumed by the OP and the fact that we are having a discussion that he meant this.

Numbers 1-10(١- أقرام ١٠)
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Actually, "algebra" is also an Arabic word, coming from Al-Jabr- something Islamic mathematicians came up with. ("Al" sort of means "the"). So is the word "algorithm", which was a concept medieval Muslim mathematicians came up with. The word "alcohol" is also an Arabic word, coming from medieval Islamic physicians and chemists.

Should we stop teaching our kids about all those too, because next thing you know we will also be teaching our kids how to behead infidels?
 
Threegoofs said:
I just heard about this, and it disturbed me.

Kids as young as six years old in some school districts are being forced to learn this.

A larger, national poll has already been done, but I'm curious as how the DP crowd will vote.


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I think it's funny how few people actually get the joke here.
 
akyron said:
A unified english language and civics education seems to be a more reasonable priority right now.

I enjoy extra languages but they are for fun and not necessary to unite Americans.
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What exactly does a "unified English language" entail? There are an abundance of different dialects of English spoken throughout the country. It would be impractical and unnecessary to eliminate them. Furthermore, extra languages are not simply for fun, they have important uses in day to day interaction.
 
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