Why did the Indus Valley Civilization Adopt the Binary System?

The binary system has been adopted by modern scientists and engineers for a practical reason: it – to this date – is the most efficient way of representing and manipulating integers by computers. It is now the second most – if, not the most important – number system. Interest in its origins is, therefore, natural.

Archeologists and those who study ancient languages have concluded that the binary system was used about four thousand years ago in the Indus valley civilization.

This talk’s purpose is to introduce these discoveries to a broader community. Secondly, we study what practical reasons might have compelled them to adopt the binary system. It seems plausible that The Indus valley mathematicians were trying to solve a combinatorial optimization problem. This is interesting as it will establish that combinatorial optimization is an ancient art/science. Telling the story of the binary system’s origins can capture students’ interest, especially in South Asia. Lastly, connecting diverse fields, such as Archeology and studying ancient languages with mathematics, enriches our intellectual environment.

Dr. Sarmad Abbasi is to make this talk accessible to a general audience. He will use no more than 10th-grade mathematics.