Question

Why was the Maya form of mathematics the most complex and accurate of any civilization of their time?

1)They were able to perform complex trigonometry formulas.
2)It was based on the number 10.
3)They did not need the concept of place value.
4)They understood the concept of zero.

Answer 1

They understood the concept of zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

Their math included the concept of zero, something most other civilizations (except the Babylonians and Hindus) had not yet invented. It was based on the number 20, instead of 10, as we are used to. Unlike other people of their time, the Maya understood not only the concept of zero but that of place value.

Answer 2

Answer: 4)They understood the concept of zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the Mayans discovered the concept of zero around two millennia ago, the rest of the world had not with only the Mesopotamians having used it way earlier.

This means that the Mayans started using the concept of zero around a thousand years before the Europeans who only started using it thanks to interactions with Asians.

Knowledge of the concept helped the Maya perform more precise calculations by using zero as a placeholder.