4 ms·

Meh, every base is base 10, in that base. The Babylonians had base 60 (more or less) and they did serious astronomical calculations way back in the day. Maybe

Meh, every base is base 10, in that base. The Babylonians had base 60 (more or less) and they did serious astronomical calculations way back in the day. Maybe we could do that again.

_mlbt 2y ago
We put several men on the moon and have sent unmanned spacecraft past the solar system with base 10. I think it gets the job done as far as astronomical calculations are concerned.
- User23 2y ago
  The Apollo program mostly used US customary units.
  - gls2ro 2y ago
    Apollo used metric system when calculating and then transformed for displaying to imperial. source: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/37607/why-did-nasa-use-u-s-customary-units https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/37607/why-did-nasa...
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - User23 2y ago
      For the guidance computer. There was a lot more to the program than one guidance computer. If you keep reading the very source that you yourself linked you’ll find that NASA generally used customary units. Hence my qualifier “mostly” in my entirely correct comment you replied to.
- pessimizer 2y ago
  foot-pounds
lisper 2y ago
Do you really want to have to learn 60 different symbols for digits? Or a 60x60 multiplication table?
- dempedempe 2y ago
  Yes. I think people would be a lot better at arithmetic if we had a larger base or, more importantly, iconic numerals so that arithmetic can be done visually as in Mayan numerals or Kaktovik numerals[1] (both base 20). 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaktovik_numerals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaktovik_numerals
- maxerickson 2y ago
  If you already use an alphabet similar to modern Latin it's probably only terrible to learn the symbols.
- t-3 2y ago
  You don't have to learn 60 different symbols, you only need two: https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_numerals/ https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_... An advantage of a small base is that you can use different symbols for each numeral and make reading much quicker/easier/less error-prone. 60 is probably too many to be optimal, but most alphabets work well with a few dozen.
- waldrews 2y ago
  We could use the binary representation for base 64, and turn 61-64 into a minus, a decimal point equivalent, an imaginary number separator, and the exponent separator (as in 1.0e5). Then something like -1.2e5+3i would have a direct representation in this notation.

Meh, every base is base 10, in that base. The Babylonians had base 60 (more or less) and they did serious astronomical calculations way back in the day. Maybe we could do that again.

_mlbt 2y ago

We put several men on the moon and have sent unmanned spacecraft past the solar system with base 10. I think it gets the job done as far as astronomical calculations are concerned.

User23 2y ago
The Apollo program mostly used US customary units.
- gls2ro 2y ago
  Apollo used metric system when calculating and then transformed for displaying to imperial. source: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/37607/why-did-nasa-use-u-s-customary-units https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/37607/why-did-nasa...
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - User23 2y ago
    For the guidance computer. There was a lot more to the program than one guidance computer. If you keep reading the very source that you yourself linked you’ll find that NASA generally used customary units. Hence my qualifier “mostly” in my entirely correct comment you replied to.
pessimizer 2y ago
foot-pounds

lisper 2y ago

Do you really want to have to learn 60 different symbols for digits? Or a 60x60 multiplication table?

dempedempe 2y ago
Yes. I think people would be a lot better at arithmetic if we had a larger base or, more importantly, iconic numerals so that arithmetic can be done visually as in Mayan numerals or Kaktovik numerals[1] (both base 20). 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaktovik_numerals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaktovik_numerals
maxerickson 2y ago
If you already use an alphabet similar to modern Latin it's probably only terrible to learn the symbols.
t-3 2y ago
You don't have to learn 60 different symbols, you only need two: https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_numerals/ https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_... An advantage of a small base is that you can use different symbols for each numeral and make reading much quicker/easier/less error-prone. 60 is probably too many to be optimal, but most alphabets work well with a few dozen.
waldrews 2y ago
We could use the binary representation for base 64, and turn 61-64 into a minus, a decimal point equivalent, an imaginary number separator, and the exponent separator (as in 1.0e5). Then something like -1.2e5+3i would have a direct representation in this notation.