Quipu

Principle

The quipus are a written form of the numbers expressed in a positional Numbering system in Base 10. Each cord comprises three types of distinct nodes:

Of the simple nodes, each one representing a unit, with more nine;
Of the complicated nodes, each one representing ten, with more nine;
Of the nodes of eight, each one representing a hundred, with more nine.

Such an alignment of nodes on a cord made it possible to form an integer lower or equal to 999. In this writing of the entireties, the 0 were replaced by the absence of nodes of such or such type.

The writing of a higher entirety asked for the use of several cords. The addition of one second cord attached to the first made it possible to pass 999 to 1.000. Possible a third cord attached then to the second allowed the passage from 999.999 to 1.000.000.

Example: 203.956 request two cords:

the first cord comprises 9 nodes of eight, 5 complicated nodes, 6 simple nodes;
the second comprises 2 nodes of eight, no complicated node, 3 simple nodes.

The first cord was attached to a cord.

Context

The qipus constitute an original system of consignment of data which was developed very early in old Peru. Indeed, some could go back to a few thousands of years like that of the civilization of Caral, 4500 years ago.

One knows especially the qipus for the utility that the administration INCA had some. Those made use of it for all economic management and social of the empire. The Quipucamayocs (“main of Qipu”), present three at least in each community counted all the demographic and economic situation place. These data returned towards the administrative centers of the empire made it possible Incas to control the prosperity of the communities. They could thus distribute the surpluses towards the less flourishing communities.

Qipus also seem to have constituted communications tools in old Peru, Garcilaso of Vega, chronicler wire of a princess INCA and of noble Spanish, a testimony of such a use pays to us. It is known indeed that the Chaski S (men with foot which traversed the Empire to give the mail) used the qipus to memorize the messages with qualitative and quantitative data.

References

Works

Marcia Ascher, Mathematical besides, Numbers, Forms and Plays in the traditional companies , Editions of the threshold, 1998.

External bonds

Examples of Quipus with a brief explanation of the theory of Gary Urton

The Khipu Database Project, University of Harvard: the site reference

the quipu

quipu|quipu

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