# Khipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero.

> Most likely: Khipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/khipu/answers/ANS0D4V84R041HH/khipu-numbers-are-base-ten-positional-with-an-empty-position  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

---

[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Inka khipus: the knotted-cord records](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/khipu)[Is the khipu number system positional with a zero, or non-positional?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/khipu/questions/QST0D4V803J64R8/is-the-khipu-number-system-positional-with-a-zero-or-non)Answer

Answer · Inka khipus: the knotted-cord records

# Khipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero.

Khipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero.

**Most likely** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Most likely** Its tests supported it: one piece of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Sums across cords hold when empty positions are read as zero.

## What would rule it out

- Sums hold only under a reading that does not use place value.

## Evidence 1 for · none against

[Sum relations hold across most of the corpus under the positional reading.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/khipu/evidence/EVD0D4V84ZT3T3S/sum-relations-hold-across-most-of-the-corpus-under-the)

Established

FOR

## The questions it answers

[Is the khipu number system positional with a zero, or non-positional?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/khipu/questions/QST0D4V803J64R8/is-the-khipu-number-system-positional-with-a-zero-or-non)

Most likelyKhipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Khipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero. [Answer ANS0D4V84R041HH]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D4V84R041HH
```

Key

**ANS** 0D4V84R041HH

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

Every record is open data. Take this one as JSON, with its links and its history.

[JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/api/v1/records/ANS0D4V84R041HH)
