4 ms·

How about multiplying? Do quickly 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 vs. 12 * 12 * 12 * 12

atomicnumber3 2y ago
12 * 12 * 12 * 12 in base 12 is 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 though, it's exactly as easy.
devnullbrain 2y ago
Both are the same in their own base. 9+1 isn't inherently easier in arbitrary bases - do you know what 10000 is in hexadecimal without working it out?
- leereeves 2y ago
  > do you know what 10000 is in hexadecimal without working it out? I do, because it's 2^16, a very important number in computer science (though less important now). But I won't spoil it by giving the answer.
  - devnullbrain 2y ago
    Wrong way around.
nicoburns 2y ago
If you add extra numerals for eleven and twelve (lets say A and B) then 12 (base ten) is written 10 (base twelve) and multiplying in base twelve becomes just as easy as multiplying in base ten usually is.
mfcl 2y ago
But in base 12 the number 12 would be written as 10. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, 10, 11, etc.
pushedx 2y ago
10 * 10 * 10 * 10 in base 12 is 10000. <12> * <12> * <12> * <12> in base 12 is 10000 Assuming that you mean the decimal number "12" and not the number 12 in base 12 which is the decimal number 14. In base 12 the number 12 is written "10"
maxerickson 2y ago
That's just familiarity. If you write it out in base 12, it looks like 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 = 10,000. I can't tell you what number that is in English without working it out of course.
jader201 2y ago
This would be much easier if our numeric system was also base 12. Then 10*10 is still 100 (but that’s 144 in decimal). Edit: lol responses explode within 60 seconds saying the same thing.
bdowling 2y ago
Nerd sniping? Not this time, buddy. https://xkcd.com/356/ https://xkcd.com/356/ Edit: You got nine of us with one comment. You win.
- Dylan16807 2y ago
  It's not nerd sniping if they can answer it in 3 seconds.
2muchcoffeeman 2y ago
I suppose you’d get used to it eventually. But the first line of this post is silly. Another reason the author doesn’t like metric is base ten. Do you know how many feet are in a mile? The answer is: Who cares. The fact that you could pick a better base is irrelevant. They had their chance and came up with some silly numbers to scale from an inch to feet to yards to miles. Metric: Just remember the base unit. Want a new unit? You change the prefix and move the dot appropriately. You can now scale down to atoms or up to galaxies with a single base unit.
- jprete 2y ago
  The imperial units were basically picked for usefulness in commerce. They're not as arbitrary as they seem.
  - pessimizer 2y ago
    Maybe my favorite thing is that auction prices were set in guineas (21 shillings), and the payment was made to the person who auctioned the item in pounds (20 shillings), fixing auction house fees at 4¾% which is basically where they've orbited to this day.
Glyptodon 2y ago
In base twelve would the symbols being in base not help you, like & is 12, &0 is 144, &00 is 1728 or something? And if the symbols made that natural would we not start finding it intuitive just because 144 would have an in base name like twun or something so you could easily say twelve, twun, twund, twend, or whatever and just add digits like with base 10? (Just making up short syllables that start with "tw".) I think I'm slightly off with my two second example because I'm not sure what && means without thinking more, but main point is just that wouldn't we have a means of making it easy to do quickly in base if that were the common base? Edit: yeah, wanting to add a symbol for twelve instead of two more symbols before 10 in base twelve is my hasty mistake.
chillingeffect 2y ago
Sure: c000. It's only hard bc your "12" is in base 10. In the proper base it's easy.
- davrosthedalek 2y ago
  In what base do you think c000 is 12*12*12*12?
  - chillingeffect 2y ago
    Base c.
    - davrosthedalek 2y ago
      Base c doesn't have a digit c.
      - Dylan16807 2y ago
        The correct formatting of c000 in base c is 10000. So while the transcription is sloppy it's the right number.
        davrosthedalek 2y ago
        That's not a formatting error. For c000 to make any sense, the base must be at least 13. In none of the bases where c000 is a valid number, the base 12 representation is 10000.
        Dylan16807 2y ago
        I could say "2x2x2 being 200 in binary is a formatting error, it should be 1000" and I think that would be true too. It can make sense as a mistake without needing the base to actually be higher. The base isn't higher just because they carried a digit incorrectly.

12 * 12 * 12 * 12 in base 12 is 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 though, it's exactly as easy.

Both are the same in their own base. 9+1 isn't inherently easier in arbitrary bases - do you know what 10000 is in hexadecimal without working it out?

leereeves 2y ago
> do you know what 10000 is in hexadecimal without working it out? I do, because it's 2^16, a very important number in computer science (though less important now). But I won't spoil it by giving the answer.
- devnullbrain 2y ago
  Wrong way around.

nicoburns 2y ago

If you add extra numerals for eleven and twelve (lets say A and B) then 12 (base ten) is written 10 (base twelve) and multiplying in base twelve becomes just as easy as multiplying in base ten usually is.

mfcl 2y ago

But in base 12 the number 12 would be written as 10. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, 10, 11, etc.

pushedx 2y ago

10 * 10 * 10 * 10 in base 12 is 10000. <12> * <12> * <12> * <12> in base 12 is 10000 Assuming that you mean the decimal number "12" and not the number 12 in base 12 which is the decimal number 14. In base 12 the number 12 is written "10"

maxerickson 2y ago

That's just familiarity. If you write it out in base 12, it looks like 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 = 10,000. I can't tell you what number that is in English without working it out of course.

jader201 2y ago

This would be much easier if our numeric system was also base 12. Then 10*10 is still 100 (but that’s 144 in decimal). Edit: lol responses explode within 60 seconds saying the same thing.

bdowling 2y ago

Nerd sniping? Not this time, buddy. https://xkcd.com/356/ https://xkcd.com/356/ Edit: You got nine of us with one comment. You win.

Dylan16807 2y ago
It's not nerd sniping if they can answer it in 3 seconds.

2muchcoffeeman 2y ago

I suppose you’d get used to it eventually. But the first line of this post is silly. Another reason the author doesn’t like metric is base ten. Do you know how many feet are in a mile? The answer is: Who cares. The fact that you could pick a better base is irrelevant. They had their chance and came up with some silly numbers to scale from an inch to feet to yards to miles. Metric: Just remember the base unit. Want a new unit? You change the prefix and move the dot appropriately. You can now scale down to atoms or up to galaxies with a single base unit.

jprete 2y ago
The imperial units were basically picked for usefulness in commerce. They're not as arbitrary as they seem.
- pessimizer 2y ago
  Maybe my favorite thing is that auction prices were set in guineas (21 shillings), and the payment was made to the person who auctioned the item in pounds (20 shillings), fixing auction house fees at 4¾% which is basically where they've orbited to this day.

Glyptodon 2y ago

In base twelve would the symbols being in base not help you, like & is 12, &0 is 144, &00 is 1728 or something? And if the symbols made that natural would we not start finding it intuitive just because 144 would have an in base name like twun or something so you could easily say twelve, twun, twund, twend, or whatever and just add digits like with base 10? (Just making up short syllables that start with "tw".) I think I'm slightly off with my two second example because I'm not sure what && means without thinking more, but main point is just that wouldn't we have a means of making it easy to do quickly in base if that were the common base? Edit: yeah, wanting to add a symbol for twelve instead of two more symbols before 10 in base twelve is my hasty mistake.

chillingeffect 2y ago

Sure: c000. It's only hard bc your "12" is in base 10. In the proper base it's easy.

davrosthedalek 2y ago
In what base do you think c000 is 12*12*12*12?
- chillingeffect 2y ago
  Base c.
  - davrosthedalek 2y ago
    Base c doesn't have a digit c.
    - Dylan16807 2y ago
      The correct formatting of c000 in base c is 10000. So while the transcription is sloppy it's the right number.
      - davrosthedalek 2y ago
        That's not a formatting error. For c000 to make any sense, the base must be at least 13. In none of the bases where c000 is a valid number, the base 12 representation is 10000.
        Dylan16807 2y ago
        I could say "2x2x2 being 200 in binary is a formatting error, it should be 1000" and I think that would be true too. It can make sense as a mistake without needing the base to actually be higher. The base isn't higher just because they carried a digit incorrectly.