NCERT Book Class 6 Maths Chapter 1 Knowing our Number

Knowing our
Numbers

Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction

Counting things is easy for us now. We can count objects in large numbers,
for example, the number of students in the school, and represent them
through numerals. We can also communicate large numbers using suitable
number names.
It is not as if we always knew how to convey large quantities in conversation
or through symbols. Many thousands years ago, people knew only small
numbers. Gradually, they learnt how to handle larger numbers. They also learnt
how to express large numbers in symbols. All this came through collective
efforts of human beings. Their path was not easy, they struggled all along the
way. In fact, the development of whole of Mathematics can be understood
this way. As human beings progressed, there was greater need for development
of Mathematics and as a result Mathematics grew further and faster.
We use numbers and know many things about them. Numbers help us
count concrete objects. They help us to say which collection of objects
is bigger and arrange them in order e.g., first, second, etc. Numbers are
used in many different contexts and in many ways. Think about various
situations where we use numbers. List five distinct situations in which
numbers are used.
We enjoyed working with numbers in our previous classes. We have added,
subtracted, multiplied and divided them. We also looked for patterns in number
sequences and done many other interesting things with numbers. In this chapter,
we shall move forward on such interesting things with a bit of review and
revision as well.