alt_f13 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Binary, sure. Base four? Okay, its a little more managable than binary, and base 16 is in full use throughout computing... but base 10? Why not make it base 7.5? That's just as useless. What's with the base 10 numbering system? What a stupid system. I seriously cannot understand how we still use such a primitive numbering system in this day and age. Well, I can... but it is time for revolution! Aside from my rant, what would be the best numbering system for the future? 1,4 or 16? Or something completely different? I don't know about you guys, but I stopped counting on my fingers when I graduated teh preeskule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primarygun Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I love the 10 numbering system. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Base 10 is a lot more useful than base 7.5; not only is 7.5 non-integral, but it's also nonintegral and just above a prime number. 10 is not prime. Base 12's pretty good, binary and base 4 are fairly useful (for the decimal [yes, I know that is technically incorrect] end of the thing, you really need a base towards the upper limit of what is easy to calculate, something between 8 and 16, say.) The only legitimate reason to change it is that our computers don't run in base 10, and we need to interact with them; but it's much simpler to change a computer (as has been shown repeatedly) than it is to change all of human society; we'd have to change our time structure, all our units, our currencies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Give me one benefit that another base, say 16, offers over 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt_f13 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 Base 10 is a lot more useful than base 7.5; not only is 7.5 non-integral, but it's also nonintegral and just above a prime number. 10 is not prime. Yah, sorry for making such an obvious exaggeration...? Give me one benefit that another base, say 16, offers over 10. 16 has no odd divisors, besides 1, making it a much rounder number to deal with. Music is almost always based on 4/4 so math in music is easier. Computers use base 16 and base 1, which can be adapted to each other much easier than base 10. 16^2 can be divided by 16^(1/2) and still end up as an integer (again, just an example of how much rounder 16 is). Give me an advantage of 10 over 16... besides the number of toes you have... [edit] And the fact that it's the system currently in use by most of the planet... that's already been made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPL.Luke Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 base ten is easier to learn, you don't need to memorise and work with 6 extra digits (hey you said give an advantage, never said how important it had to be) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt_f13 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 The alphabet is 26 characters long... should we reduce it to twenty? A difference of six numbers to get used to is nothing. If taught from age 0 as it should be, base 16 would be much easier to deal with than base 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 16 has no odd divisors, besides 1, making it a much rounder number to deal with. Justify this statement please. Music is almost always based on 4/4 so math in music is easier. I'm not sure what this means, if anything. Computers use base 16 and base 1, which can be adapted to each other much easier than base 10. Aside from you meaning base 2 (not 1), this remains a property of computers, and, in particular, bits. Not people. Computers. 16^2 can be divided by 16^(1/2) and still end up as an integer (again, just an example of how much rounder 16 is). I don't really see how that's an advantage, and, ironically given you said that it makes it rounder, is true of all square numbers, and only all square numbers. Give me an advantage of 10 over 16... besides the number of toes you have... 10 is divisible by more prime numbers than 16 (2 rather than 1), and therefore ends up with fewer infinite fractions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPL.Luke Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 I am not sure but wasn't there an ancient culture that used base 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 I don't recall such a thing; a quick google didn't turn up anything of interest, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 I am not sure but wasn't there an ancient culture that used base 13there was once considered to be 13 months due to moon phases, and subsequently 13 star signs (zodiac), Tarrot cards (the for runner to our decks used in Poker etc...)were made up of 4 Suits 13 in each (not counting the Major Arcana). the 4 seasons and elements, the 13 months making the 52 weeks in the year also. the lost Zodiak sign is said to be the Arachnid (Spider). Pagan would be the "Culture" for wants of a better word not exactly a number base per se, but highly revered and later feared by Christians as they were said to be Witches and Evil. some people today still regard the Number 13 as "Unlucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPL.Luke Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 no it was something I vaguely remember on the history channel it was a culture out in africa or south america or i could be totally wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSX Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 10 is divisible by more prime numbers than 16 (2 rather than 1), and therefore ends up with fewer infinite fractions. What's an infinite fraction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 What's an infinite fraction? Nonterminating, should I say. Something like 0.333333333333333333333333.... = 1/3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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