RAS question
The decimal numeral system and the concept of zero were contributions of which period?
Correct answer: (A) Gupta period.
The decimal numeral system and the concept of zero were major mathematical contributions of the Gupta period.
Explanation
The Gupta period is the right frame because this was when Indian mathematics was especially advanced. Britannica Kids, India notes that mathematics in India during the Gupta period was probably ahead of anywhere else in the world at that time, and specifically links Indian numerals, zero and the decimal system to this phase. The examination-relevant sequence is that Aryabhata, born in 476 CE, wrote the Aryabhatiya on astronomy and mathematics, while Brahmagupta later formalised rules for zero. These ideas mattered beyond India because Indian numerals were later taken by Arab scholars and introduced to Europe as Arabic numerals, making the Gupta-era achievement central to the history of number systems.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Vedic period had mathematical ideas, but the formal concept of zero belongs later, not in the Vedic age.
- (C) The Mughal period came much later, whereas Britannica Kids, India places these numerical developments well before it.
- (D) The Mauryan period predates the Gupta-era mathematical advances linked here with Indian numerals, zero and the decimal system.
Concept
This tests the cultural and scientific achievements of ancient India, especially Gupta-period mathematics. RAS repeats this because inventions such as zero, the decimal system and Indian numerals connect chronology with global intellectual history.