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The Anvil of the Stars, by Greg Bear, featured a race of aliens whose mathematics weren't based on integers.
by pavel_lishin 2y ago
The Anvil of the Stars, by Greg Bear, featured a race of aliens whose mathematics weren't based on integers.
- mst 2y agoThis somehow reminds me of Egyptian mathematics where they refused to admit to the existence of any fraction with a numerator other than 1 (except for 2/3). Learning how to expand e.g. 3/7 into 1/n + 1/m + ... using their methods was a fascinating experience. I wouldn't want to suffer under such constraints day to day but it was one of the most memorable parts of the History of Mathematics course I took alongside what was other a mostly pure maths degree.