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/sci/ - Science & Math

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11576828 No.11576828 [Reply] [Original]

Why ten? Why does everything need to be based on ten? Why not eight? Or sixteen? Or even twelve? The metric system and decimal base are based on the number ten. Why? Is it because of our fingers? Who the fuck counts on their fingers? What am I a fuckin child? Ten isn't useful. It's pathetic. Now the babylonians used a base 60 number system. We should have kept that. Equally divisible by twelve different numbers, and I'm pretty sure we could have thought of 60 different numerical symbols. Though maybe it's too large of a number. Base sixteen could be even better, being a factor of two and all. Would probably be more compatible with all our modern tech as well.

It pisses me off that this is what my mind gets upset about. Can't change a damn thing about it. Everyone just loves their metric system. I wish we could just make a new number system.

>> No.11576843

grow up

>> No.11576914
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11576914

>>11576828
>plastic memories was 6 years ago

>> No.11577008

Shut the fuck up.
Imperial is for idiots

>> No.11577037
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11577037

>>11577008
Yea, I seeth every time I have to do (1/32.2) for slugs and pounds.

>>11576828
The base of 10 is used because we have 10 symbols. Look at your keyboard and think about how many would have to be changed.

Base 60 confirms this is bait

>> No.11577579

>>11577037
Not OP, but we have 10 symbols because of base 10.
>>11576828
Yes, because we have 10 fingers. In times where people would have to alternate between using their fingers, language, and sometimes written text to infer a quantity, it was convenient.

>> No.11577644

>>11577037
>The base of 10 is used because we have 10 symbols.
?
Obviously the other way around

>> No.11577645
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11577645

Base 12 is based
Better fractions

>> No.11577657

>>11577644
No, anon is actually right. We have base 10 because we use 10 symbols

>> No.11577684

>>11577657
>we use 10 symbols
>>11577644
>we have 10 symbols.
we have more than 62 though???

>> No.11577702

>>11577684
They mean 10 numerical symbols, 0-9

>> No.11577740
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11577740

>>11576828
Sumerians used base 60.
Mayans used base 20.

>> No.11578102

Let's switch to base 13 just to fuck with divisibility rules.

>> No.11578128

>>11576828
But any base you pick would be base ten

>> No.11578157
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11578157

Where my base e chads at?

>> No.11578224

>>11576828
On one hand, use your thumb to point to different finger bones, starting with the base of your index and ending with the tip of your pinky. Pointing to a different bone for each number gives 3 for each finger, and a total of 12 (we don't use the thumb, meaning 3 x 4) for one hand. Using your other hand, raise 1 finger (individually) to keep track of "handfuls."
5 x 12 = 60, which is how the base 60 number system came about.

EVERYONE used their hands to count, it was just a matter of how.

>> No.11578229

>>11578128
> thinking 10 is always ten