The weird part about switching to a different base is that they usually reappropriate some of the same symbols from base-10 but redefine their meaning. Anyone

The weird part about switching to a different base is that they usually reappropriate some of the same symbols from base-10 but redefine their meaning. Anyone who wants to use a different base needs to use a separate character set. Think about how much easier it would make recognition and how much ambiguity would be prevented. (But, for love of all that's sacred, please not emoji.) So, I like the article's Babylonian system better for that reason (anyone else reminded of mahjong tiles?). It probably saved a lot of confusion back in the day if there were different systems encountered by traveling merchants or the like. Someone might argue that, e.g., the the single digit number n is the same in all bases >= n+1 ('03' in base 4 == '03' in base-10). I'd counter that supports my argument about the ambiguity that results from symbol reappropriation ('30' base-4 != '30' base-10). Apologies if this idea is even more idiotic than I admit it sounds or if I'm reinventing someone else's wheel. I've gotten used to hex and binary probably because I started learning them as a kid. The formatting of alternate number bases and zero-padding does help tremendously, but that again belies the avoidable ambiguity inherent.