India's Maurya and Gupta empires, and the number zero

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Numerals, zero and place value: the evidence

   Evidence	Date	What it shows
   Brahmi numerals	from about 250 BCE	separate signs for 1 to 9, 10, 100 and more; no place value
   Aryabhata's book, the Aryabhatiya	499 CE	a counting system with place value, using letters of the alphabet; no sign for zero
   A land-gift charter dated Chhedi year 346	594 CE	the oldest dated record with a number written in place-value form as we write it; a few historians doubt its date
   Gwalior inscription (Vikrama year 933)	876 CE	the earliest dated zero in India that everyone agrees is genuine
   Bakhshali manuscript, held at Oxford	date debated: 200 to 1100 CE proposed	hundreds of zeros written as dots; Oxford tests: 2017 said 3rd or 4th century, 2024 put its bark in about 800 to 1100 CE

   Below the chart: place value means a digit's worth depends on where it sits, like the 2 in 20 and in 200.

2. 1.

   What does the chart say about the Gwalior inscription, Milo asks?

   • A zero written as a dot, date debated
   • Letters used as numbers, with no zero
   • The oldest dated place-value number
   • The earliest zero in India that all accept
3. 2.

   How many years came between Aryabhata's book and the Gwalior inscription, Pia asks?

   • 1,375 years
   • 477 years
   • 377 years
   • 37 years
4. 3.

   Which statement about the Bakhshali manuscript's date is the most careful, Ren asks?

   • It is from the 3rd or 4th century, as Oxford showed
   • Its date is debated; 200 to 1100 CE is proposed
   • It cannot be tested
   • It is from the 800s CE, which settles the matter
5. 4.

   Tala wants one piece of evidence for a genuine, dated zero in India that everyone accepts. Which is the best pick?

   • The charter of 594 CE; a few doubt its date
   • The Bakhshali manuscript; its date is debated
   • The Gwalior inscription, 876 CE
   • Aryabhata's book; it has no zero sign
6. 5.

   What can Zee say about who invented zero, using the chart?

   • It grew in steps over time
   • Brahmi numerals did, about 250 BCE
   • Aryabhata did, in 499 CE
   • The Gwalior stone did, in 876 CE

7. Aryabhata and the sky (his book of 499 CE)

   Topic	What Aryabhata wrote	Compared with today
   Length of a year	365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds	a little too long, by today's measurements
   The circle	add 4 to 100, multiply by 8, then add 62,000; the result is about the distance around a circle 20,000 wide	gives pi as 3.1416, very close to today's 3.14159
   The turning sky	the daily turning of the sky comes from Earth turning on its axis	matches today's science
   Eclipses	gave their causes in terms of the Sun, Moon and Earth	matches today's science

   Below the chart: Aryabhata was 23 years old when he finished the Aryabhatiya in 499 CE.

8. 6.

   Which of Aryabhata's results does the chart say is a little off from today's, Ari asks?

   • The year: a little too long
   • The turning sky: Earth's spin
   • The circle: pi as 3.1416
   • Eclipses: their causes
9. 7.

   Aryabhata's rule says add 4 to 100, multiply by 8, then add 62,000. What number does it give, Bo asks?

   • 62,132
   • 62,104
   • 832
   • 62,832
10. 8.

    Aryabhata finished his book in 499 CE, aged 23. In what year was he born, Esme asks?

    • 477 CE
    • 476 BCE
    • 522 CE
    • 476 CE

11. Numerals, zero and place value: the evidence

    Evidence	Date	What it shows
    Brahmi numerals	from about 250 BCE	separate signs for 1 to 9, 10, 100 and more; no place value
    Aryabhata's book, the Aryabhatiya	499 CE	a counting system with place value, using letters of the alphabet; no sign for zero
    A land-gift charter dated Chhedi year 346	594 CE	the oldest dated record with a number written in place-value form as we write it; a few historians doubt its date
    Gwalior inscription (Vikrama year 933)	876 CE	the earliest dated zero in India that everyone agrees is genuine
    Bakhshali manuscript, held at Oxford	date debated: 200 to 1100 CE proposed	hundreds of zeros written as dots; Oxford tests: 2017 said 3rd or 4th century, 2024 put its bark in about 800 to 1100 CE

    Below the chart: place value means a digit's worth depends on where it sits, like the 2 in 20 and in 200.

12. 9.

    Jun's note says, "Aryabhata invented the zero in 499 CE." Which fix is right?

    • Leave it: his book is dated to 499 CE
    • Change it: his book has no zero sign
    • Change 499 CE to 499 BCE
    • Change zero to pi
13. 10.

    Luz's note says, "Place-value numbers first appeared at Gwalior in 876 CE." Which fix is right?

    • Change Gwalior to Brahmi
    • Change it: Gwalior is the earliest zero in India all accept
    • Change 876 CE to 876 BCE
    • Leave it: Gwalior is the oldest date on the whole chart