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?

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

   About how many years passed from the Brahmi numerals to the Gwalior inscription, Noah asks?

   • About 1,126 years
   • About 1,125 years
   • About 626 years
   • About 11,250 years
4. 3.

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

   • 37 years
   • 477 years
   • 377 years
   • 1,375 years
5. 4.

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

   • It cannot be tested
   • It is from the 800s CE, which settles the matter
   • It is from the 3rd or 4th century, as Oxford showed
   • Its date is debated; 200 to 1100 CE is proposed
6. 5.

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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.

11. 8.

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

    • Change it: his book has no zero sign
    • Change 499 CE to 499 BCE
    • Change zero to pi
    • Leave it: his book is dated to 499 CE
12. 9.

    Kira's note says, "The Bakhshali manuscript is surely from the Gupta period." Which fix is right?

    • Change manuscript to inscription
    • Change it: its date is debated
    • Change Gupta to Maurya
    • Leave it: Oxford tested it in 2017
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