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I think that's not the point, but a numerical system with or without zero.
For example. You can calculate the volume of a pool, or the weight of a rocket oxidizer easily in binary, hexadecimal o decimal system, both in metric or imperial, using a computer or a dirty piece of paper buy try to the same thing with romans. In you withdraw the zero from a numerical system, you wipe out all engineering, I think
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Romans were pretty good engineers. There are aqueducts that maintain a steady 4 degree angle, even through tunnels. Not to mention things like the 100 foot unreinforced concrete dome over the Pantheon in Rome, which is still the largest of its kind, some 2000 years later.
I think if we were still using roman numerals, we would still be fine. We seem to be able to manage the calendar and all its weird and wonderful attributes. Speaking of which, Julius Caesar was able to reform the calendar in 46 BC, to within 99.99% of the tropical year. That's pretty good calculations for a number system without a zero, I'd say.
Keep Calm and Carry On
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They pushed its numerical system to its limits, no doubt, and got got incredible things.
But if you withdraw the zero of many of out engineering fields things like the Fourier Transform get really complicated.
As another example, it is predict the planets position with the middle ages earth centered system. but if you place the sun in the center, things became simpler.
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I'm sure the Romans had the concept of zero or nothing but just didn't have a symbol for it.
Centurion: Hand over your taxes.
Peasant: You've left me with nothing.
Centurion: And you'll like it.
Peasant: Yes I will.
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Killing off all the mathematicians, philosophers, and atomists, and burning their books in the 4th century may have had an influence.
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I knew that Roman concrete was more durable that what we use now, but hadn't seen anything about why before!
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altomaltes wrote: curiously this did not lead to a Industrial Revolution
An industrial revolution? In Roman times??
Didn't even happen during the enlightment, ages later, wich had much better foundations to do so.
Makes me doubt wether your question is serious.
The revolution required education and freedom, and periods mixed of peace and war.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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The question is serious. Let me reformulate:
¿Is it possible an Industrial Revolution without a zero based math?
Eddy Vluggen wrote: Didn't even happen during the enlightment, ages later, wich had much better foundations to do so.
They also lacked zero. This is precisely the point.
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altomaltes wrote: ¿Is it possible an Industrial Revolution without a zero based math?
Yes. Doesn't require math.
altomaltes wrote:
They also lacked zero. This is precisely the point.
No, they didn't, and the Romans knew the concept of "nothing"; it just didn't have a char to denote it.
--edit
I don't take it as a joke. Your statement is incorrect.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Quote: the Romans knew the concept of "nothing"; it just didn't have a char to denote it.
They did not apply the concept "zero" to its numerical system, hence the lack of symbol; so, they could not handle too big or too little numbers and operate with it. It is impossible to develop chemical novelties, radio antenae, iron ships, major metal structcures without strong math.
An math-less industrial revolution would have been anchored in the steam engine and the alchemy, and would not have headed to place a man alive on the moon.
"The Void" is an indian concept. In fact the have ancient texts about it.
Zero was invented by the indians, brought to Europe by the moors via Spain (Al-Andalus)promoted by Fibonacci and widely used in Europe in the 16th century. Shortly after some mathematicians started their work and made technology possible.
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Having concepts is not necessarily the same as having written symbols. In our culture, we are able to handle different degrees of infinity without each having a distinct symbol. In the computer and database world, we are to varying degrees able to handle variants of zero/empty/unknown/null/void/...
I was surprised when I many years ago learned that there was (maybe still is) a 4-value standard code for sex, from long before the Pride age, each represented by a single digit, none of the alternatives being zero: Male, female, irrelevant and undecided. It was used e.g. by railroad transporters' reservation system: For an ordinary coach with seats, the sex was irrelevant. For a sleeper reservation not yet sold, the sex was undecided. In the old days, with three bunks per sleeper compartment, you could buy a single bunk, and the two others were marked in the database as male or female, according to your sex. Railroad companies managed to handle it, even if there were no specific symbol to represent the four sex alternatives.
I am 100% convinced that the Romans had a concept of "I owe you nothing!" or "We have reached the destination - there there is no remaining travel", even if they did not have a mathematical symbol for it. We don't have a symbol for an unspecified value, unless we introduce an indirection concept, a pointer to a value and give that pointer a void/null value. It doesn't exist in our number system; yet we are able to cope with it.
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altomaltes wrote: They did not apply the concept "zero" to its numerical system, hence the lack of symbol; so, they could not handle too big or too little numbers and operate with it.
Yes, they can; even the year we live in.
altomaltes wrote: It is impossible to develop chemical novelties, radio antenae, iron ships, major metal structcures without strong math.
"Strong" ehr? So how strong was it during the enlightment?
You don't need big fakkin' math for an industrial revolution. Steam engines don't require math.
altomaltes wrote: "The Void" is an indian concept. In fact the have ancient texts about it.
Nothing is a human concept; we start out with it.
altomaltes wrote: Zero was invented by the indians
Zero was NOT invented; it existed long before the Indians had their character for it. OURS comes from the arabic culture, not the Indians.
altomaltes wrote: Shortly after some mathematicians started their work and made technology possible.
Basic tech didn't require math.
Not in any sense, and history proves so.
And yes, I will defend that position until you come with something convincing. No math was required for the revolution, and Romans are a bit weird suggestion to start with.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Quote:
You don't need big fakkin' math for an industrial revolution. Steam engines don't require math.
I see you've never worked with steam.
Get a calculation wrong and all that will be left of you is a pink mist.
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That´s the main reason of the argument: No alive witnesses letf.
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Quote: And yes, I will defend that position until you come with something convincing.
Well that's your prerogative.
We live in a free will realm, that is to say: A responsibility realm, is the same thing.
This basically means you can act, speak or think the way you decide, and stick whith the consequences, both pleasant and unpleasant; sooner, later or simultaneously, if out withdraw the factor "time" from the equation. ( equating it to NULL )
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Too busy waging war to have much time for "pure" R&D. Mass "publishing" (Gutenberg) set the ball rolling. Information sharing. Today, it's called "the internet". Leveling the playing field (if you choose to use it).
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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Their aqueducts were made with lead pipes, so the leadership became insane from lead poisoning.
Hmmm...I wonder what the pipes in DC are made from. 
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There's a reason the profession is called plumber.
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That's what they say, and that too, is incorrect.
Lots of lead piping in the Netherlands. Yes, talking about the ones that carry drinking water.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Ha, ha this is a good one.
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Every "Technology" has a predecessor technology. You can't have a toilet seat(N/A until 18th century) without a plumbing, running water and a sewage - read water pumping stations. You cant have a radio without basic understanding of electricity. You can't have electricity without advanced metallurgy. You cant have advanced metallurgy without understanding of chemistry. You can't build structures and super structures without understanding physics "Strength of materials". And pretty much list goes on.
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Lots of people therefore conclude that no technology has been more advanced than the current one. That does not always hold true. One branch of technology, one society, may have developed to a quite advanced stage. Then some other society starts branching out, from a much earlier predecessor, a different kind of technology, which develops slowly while the first society is destroyed by war, epidemics or whatever. The second one may be the most advanced at the moment, but not the highest ever.
And there is the question of metrics. While we think microelectronics is the greatest thing since sliced bread, other cultures may ask: What do you want that for? What's the real purpose of this tile with colors on one side changing all the time? What is the value of that? Why do you all feel that you are completely lost without it in your pocket? We have developed along quite different lines...
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I absolutely agree, Tech have a huge black side.
I suposse we humans as species are doomed to explore even that black side, and paid for it.
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steveb wrote: You can't have a toilet seat(N/A until 18th century) without a plumbing, running water and a sewage
The Romans had a quite sophisticated system of water delivery and sewage removal in Rome. One of the duties of the Praetorae Urbani (plural?) was to ensure that the adjutages of the pipes were not too large, so that private dwellings would not take more than their fair share of water.
Note that these were gravity fed; no pumps in the modern sense existed.
steveb wrote: You cant have advanced metallurgy without understanding of chemistry
The Romans (and the Japanese, for that matter) managed to produce very good swords by trial and error. While the Romans did not know why the ore from certain mines made good steel, they certainly knew how to use it.
Europeans (and other cultures as well, but I'm less familiar with them) were using impressive technology long before the modern Solid-State Physics was known. Just look at some of the Roman aqueducts (still standing after more than 2,000 years), the medieval cathedral churches (tall walls, glass windows, support with flying buttresses, etc.), sailing ships, and many other examples.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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