Set of 10 symbols
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0
that represent numbers in the decimal number system .
They originated in India in the 6th or 7th century and were introduced to Europe through Arab mathematicians around the 12th century (see al-Khwarizmi ). They represented a profound break with previous methods of counting, such as the abacus , and paved the way for the development of algebra .