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Reply to: Decimals

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Previously on "Decimals"

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  • xchaotic
    replied
    Well any system that's a power of 2 (base8, base16) would be a good combination nowadays as it works well with binary, base10 is problematic because of the 1/3rrds and the rounding errors.
    Anyway hex would probably be a good choice for humans as it doesn't get too verbose with moderate numbers.

    Since we can't even change the silly keyboard layout that we have for 100 years, I don't think that a number migration could happen without nuclear holocaust as a catalyst

    Leave a comment:


  • Diver
    replied
    The Phsychlo's used base eleven.
    But then again, they had six fingers on the grasping hand.

    Leave a comment:


  • Moscow Mule
    replied
    Originally posted by EternalOptimist View Post
    would we have been luckier as a species if we had eight or twelve or some other number ?
    I'm hard pressed to find a species on the planet who have been luckier than humans.

    Except, the dolphins maybe? - and they don't have any fingers

    Leave a comment:


  • darmstadt
    replied
    In my first computing job I had to learn hexadecimal which came as a shock seeing as I'm a complete numpty when it comes to maths.

    Leave a comment:


  • RichardCranium
    replied
    It's not a species thing. The Bablylonians (and Sumerians? Phonecians?) used base 60. Others have been used too.

    Edit: Wikipedia gives other examples.
    Last edited by RichardCranium; 1 September 2009, 09:34.

    Leave a comment:


  • VectraMan
    replied
    Originally posted by JoJoGabor View Post
    I dunno, ask the SImpsons they have eight fingers
    I have eight fingers.

    Leave a comment:


  • JoJoGabor
    replied
    I dunno, ask the SImpsons they have eight fingers

    Leave a comment:


  • EternalOptimist
    started a topic Decimals

    Decimals

    Being IT techies, we all understand binary and we all know that we use decimal because we have ten digits on our hands.

    But is base 10 a good system to use ? would we have been luckier as a species if we had eight or twelve or some other number ?




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