3 ms·
> In base 8 (if we'd had 8 fingers) Seven fingers. Base 11 is the natural base for a ten fingered person: Base 11 has a distinct symbol for ten, base 10 does
by nullc 7y ago
> In base 8 (if we'd had 8 fingers)
Seven fingers.
Base 11 is the natural base for a ten fingered person: Base 11 has a distinct symbol for ten, base 10 does not.
[A prime base has quite a few practical disadvantages... and their advantages are fairly esoteric...]
- crdrost 7y agoI mean it's not so bad. If we meet aliens there is a decent chance that they will have a base-9 counting system in balanced ternary: so their digits would be -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Rather than prefixing negatives with a minute sign, maybe negation would flip a number top-to-bottom.