What it does
Type one whole number from 0 to 9,999,999 and see it written six ways, with the working:
- Indian place value: 12,34,567 grouping, lakh and crore, and words.
- Roman numerals: I, V, X, L, C, D, M with pairs like IV and IX. They stop at 3,999 and have no zero.
- Egyptian signs: a stroke for 1 up to a kneeling god for 1,000,000.
- Mayan numerals: base 20 with dots, bars and a shell for zero.
- Babylonian numerals: base 60 with thin and corner wedges.
- Any base from 2 to 16: digits, place-value blocks and the sum back to an ordinary number.
It fits Class 8 Mathematics, a story of numbers (place value, zero and bases). To see how fast powers grow, try doubling power; for taking numbers apart, HCF and LCM factor trees and the number theory toolkit.
How to use it
- Type a whole number or tap an example.
- Every card updates at once.
- In the last card pick a base, or type any base from 2 to 16. Type into “Or type a number in this base” to go the other way.
A worked example
The page starts with 2026.
- Roman: MMXXVI = 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 1.
- Mayan: 5 × 20² + 1 × 20 + 6 = 2,026.
- Babylonian: 33 × 60 + 46 = 2,026.
- Base 2: 11111101010, since 1024 + 512 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 32 + 8 + 2 = 2026. Base 16: 7EA = 7 × 256 + 14 × 16 + 10.
Why place value and zero matter
Without place value you need new signs for ever bigger numbers. With it, a few digits do everything, but you need a way to show an empty place. Babylonians left a gap, which made 61 and 3,601 easy to confuse; the Maya had a shell; Indian mathematicians made zero a number, and that system spread worldwide.
Check yourself
Five fresh questions: Roman, base 2, Mayan, Babylonian and base 16. Press Check; open the worked answer if needed. Nothing is saved.
FAQ
Why are the Egyptian signs so simple? The page draws them itself so it works offline. Real carvings are more detailed.
Is this from the NCERT book? It covers the same topic with fibub’s own pictures and examples. fibub is not part of NCERT.
Where the numbers come from
- Roman, Egyptian, Mayan and Babylonian numerals, Indian place value and number bases are standard history of mathematics. The signs are drawn simply by fibub (no outside fonts); wording and examples are fibub's own.
- Checked against Python (divmod for bases 20 and 60, bin and hex) and JavaScript's toString(base) for every number up to 20,000 in every base 2 to 16; every Roman numeral 1 to 3999 is read back to its number.
Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.
Last updated 2026-11-10.