What is a non-positional numbering system?

Answer 1

A non-positional number system is the one in which the symbols that are used to represent a number will have its own place value.

For example, in the early ages stones and sticks were used to count a number, with one stick for 1, a hundred sticks for 100 and so on. The position or placing will not make any change.

Answer 2

A positional notation numeral system in which each position is related to the next by a constant multiplier of that numeral system. For each position that the number is in, in that system has a relative symbol or meaning, and in a way relates to the number directly next to it. The total value of a positional number is the total of the resultant values of all positions.

In a non-positional number system, each number in each position does not have to be positional itself. Every system varies by country and it depends on symbols and values set by the people of that country. For example, the Egyptians use Hieroglyphics, and the Greeks use a numeral system.

Answer 3

A non-positional numbering system is a system where the position of a digit has no direct bearing upon its value. For instance, a tally-mark system is non-positional, so the value IIII means "four-ones". In other words, each I is worth the same value regardless of its position. In a positional system of notation, each I would be worth a different amount according to its position. For instance, in positional decimal notation, the value IIII would be read as "one-thousand-one-hundred-and-eleven" because each I is now worth ten raised to the power of its zero-based index. Hence we write this number as 1111 today.

In positional systems, the value 0 is used as a place-holder. In non-positional systems, there is no notion of a place-holder because position holds no meaning in a non-positional system.

Roman numerals evolved from tally marks and is therefore non-positional. The tally-man would keep a record of his count by scoring a tally-stick with a vertical mark. To make it easier to read the count, he would also add an extra stroke every 5 marks, creating a V. Thus the number 7 would be IIIIVII. Every 10th stroke became an X, so 28 would be IIIIVIIIIXIIIIVIIIIXIIIIVIII. When the tally-man came to record his count, he used a shorthand notation. Since an X implies a prefix of IIIIVIIII, the prefix can simply be ignored, so IIIIVIIIIX can be shortened to just X. By the same token, a V implies a prefix of IIII, so IIIIV becomes V. Thus IIIIVIIIIXIIIIVIIIIXIIIIVIII becomes XXVIII. The notion of subtractive numerals evolved from this shorthand. Given the value IIIIVIIII, it can be seen that it is just one mark short of an X, thus it becomes IX rather than VIIII.

Answer 4

A Non-Positional Number System is a system that uses symbols to depict a number. And these symbols have their own place value.

Answer 5

Roman number system is an example of non positional number system