The Kids Who Invented a Number System

In the 1990s, Iñupiat schoolchildren in Kaktovik, Alaska, created their own set of numerals to represent their traditional base-20 counting system. The standard Arabic numerals didn't fit their math, so the students designed symbols that visually showed quantity and place value. Their "Kaktovik numerals" were quickly adopted across northern Alaska and are now taught in local schools.

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