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Base 10 is intuitive because we are taught to work in base 10. If we worked in base 7, then multiplication by seven would be just another 0. (And if we worked i
by joppy 7y ago
Base 10 is intuitive because we are taught to work in base 10. If we worked in base 7, then multiplication by seven would be just another 0. (And if we worked in base 7, we would probably have defined “an order of magnitude” to be a multiplication by 7, rather than 10).
- mlyle 7y agoThough probably a base with a couple convenient small factors is useful. Especially 2, since parity (even/odd) is so useful. Past cultures thought even more factors were good, e.g. sexagesimal with 2, 2, 3, and 5. It means that e.g. the expansion of 1/3rd and 1/6th don't form a repeating fraction in sexagesimal notation.
- simonh 7y agoI’m convinced base 12 would be far superior to base 10. It has four common factors: 6, 4, 3 and 2, rather than just one. This would make handling common whole number fractions in place value form much easier. It’s also easy to count to 12 on one hand - just point to your finger bones with your thumb. That way with two hands you can count all the way up to 24 (in base 10 equivalent).
- JoeAltmaier 7y agoMe too! And telling if a large number was a multiple of 2, 3, 4, 6 would be trivial - just check the last digit!
- lanstin 7y agoStill only two prime factors. I really wanted bass thirty - negative powers of 2 3 and 5 all terminate.