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1. Define number system. Write in brief about positional and non-positional number system.
Ans: A number system defines a set of values used to represent ‘quantity’. In ancient times, people
used to count on their fingers. When the fingers became insufficient for counting, stones, pebbles or
sticks were used to indicate the values. This method of counting is called the ‘non-positional number
system’. It was very difficult to perform arithmetic with such a number system, as it had no symbol for
zero. The most common non-positional number system is the Roman number system, in which only a
few characters such as I, V, X, L, C, D and M are used ...