why is it that our math system is based on ten digits (0-9). before we repeat the first digit zero. i would assume that we started, long ago doing math with our ten fingers. what if we had 4 or 6 fingers? and we based our math system on 8 or 12 digits before we repeated the first digit? could we do that? would it work? and would it or would it not be complimentary to our ten digit system?
2006-09-08 04:07:13 · 12 answers · asked by shotgunsherriffs 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
There are also systems with 12 digits and 60. Easy, because you can divide 12 by 1,2,3 and 4. That was in Mesopotamia. Of course 60 seconds in an hour comes also from the middle east (1 x2x3x4x5=60). It would work also, as goods as two digits (binary systems) works. Remember the 12 months in a year? Easy to divide. Easier than 10 months would have been in a year.
(in fact The earliest Latin calendar was a 10-month one, beginning with March; thus, September was the seventh month, October, the eighth, etc. July was originally called Quintilis, meaning fifth; August was originally called Sextilis, meaning sixth.)
.
If it would not work it would be illogical mathematics.
2006-09-08 04:18:07 · answer #1 · answered by Stillwater 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Presumably because we have 10 digits on our hands. Base 12 would be far more useful as division by 3 and 4 is vastly more common than division by 5. This change could have been cost effective in the paper calculation era but is rather irrelevant to the user of electronic equipment.
2006-09-08 04:19:58 · answer #2 · answered by Clive 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our # system is based on a base 10. Many years ago they used other bases such as 5, 15, 20. It seems very confusing to me, but that is what worked for them back in the day. You should try reading up on the History of Math, it is actually very interesting.
2006-09-08 04:10:48 · answer #3 · answered by keri0426 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
funny enough the Sumerians,(I think), used an 8 digit system. In computers people use a hexadecimal system,(16). The arabs came up with the current system,(and the numbers). I'm sure it's derived from our fingers.
2006-09-08 04:10:30 · answer #4 · answered by mojawoja 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, a lot of math is based on the ten digits, but there are some places where we still use 8 or 12 digits almost without thinking, and of course it works. Seven pints plus two pints makes a gallon and one pint. Three hours after eleven o'clock, it is two o'clock. Nobody ever thinks of eleven o'clock as ten plus one, it's thought of as one less than twelve, instead.
2006-09-08 04:46:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could work with any base system. If we had 8 fingers counting could have been 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11.. which is nothing but base 8. it would work as it works in base 8 but different rules
say
4+4 = 10
2006-09-08 04:44:51 · answer #6 · answered by Mein Hoon Na 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It goes back in history.
c. 3500 - 2500 BC Elamites of Iran possibly use early forms of decimal system.
c. 2900 BC Egyptian hieroglyphs show counting in powers of 10 (1 million + 400,000 goats, etc.).
c. 2600 BC Indus Valley Civilization, earliest known physical use of decimal fractions in ancient weight system: 1/20, 1/10, 1/5, 1/2.
c. 1400 BC Chinese writers show familiarity with the concept: for example, 547 is written 'Five hundred plus four decades plus seven of days' in some manuscripts.
c. 1200 BC In ancient India, the Vedic text Yajur-Veda states the powers of 10, up to 1055.
c. 400 BC Pingala – develops the binary number system for Sanskrit prosody, with a clear mapping to the base-10 decimal system.
2006-09-08 04:18:09 · answer #7 · answered by williegod 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
our 10 digit system is called "base-10". it is possible to use any other base...for example, binary (computer language) uses base 2. hexadecimal, also used in computers, is base 16. each digit represents the base number to a power. for example, in base 10, 174 = 1x10^2+7x10^1+4x10^0. in binary, the decimal number 4 is written as 0100
2006-09-08 04:10:16 · answer #8 · answered by dan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
properly if i comprehend which interest you wanted to comprehend approximately it would help yet right here is going For carry'em that's the percentages understanding what you have and what the different gamers are in a position to make with the community taking part in cards and how there making a guess if the pot is 500 with purely 3 human beings nonetheless taking part in and one bets 250 and the different guy call which ability in case you call u properly be getting greater appropriate then 2 to a minimum of one on your money and if your taking part in cards look better then there is then you definitely've the percentages of triumphing 2 cases your money Now black jack has the perfect unusual of any card interest have been you're taking part in the abode (some properly say back down) it variations from on line casino to on line casino yet maximum play with 8 decks and that's not undemanding to remember that mean taking part in cards besides the indisputable fact that that's executed ; )
2016-09-30 11:31:03 · answer #9 · answered by elidia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, you have time to think this stuff up? I not a math guy at all but it would seem to work only differently such as PC machine language is entirely based on 1s and 0s. I know its code but its also a language.
I promise I wont tackle any more math questions.
2006-09-08 04:16:12 · answer #10 · answered by N e 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋