Chang Thokpa

High school (ages 12+)
Mathematics & Numbers

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/chang-thokpa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the mathematical system type?Non-decimal positional numeral system
2. What is the geographical and cultural origin?Tibet, developed for practical quantification needs
3. How is Chang Thokpa different from the numbers we use every day?Instead of counting by tens, it groups numbers by another base, so the digits represent powers of that base.
4. Why did people in Tibet use Chang Thokpa?It helped them keep track of big inventories, watch the stars, and trade goods in a hard environment.

Radix: The base of a numeral system, determining the number of unique digits.
Positional Numeral System: A system where the value of a digit depends on its position.
Ethnomathematics: The study of the relationship between mathematics and culture.