Re: [OT] Interesting?
mistertrik at hotmail.com wrote:
> It's strange... I never knew the decimal system was evil and corrupt!
>
> (tongue FIRMLY in cheek)
>
> Evil, corrupt and unstable:
> 1000mm -> 1m, 1000m -> 1km
> 1000mL -> 1L, 1000mL -> 1kL
> 1000mg -> 1g, 1000g -> 1kg, 1000kg -> 1T
(I see your tongue and raise a few teeth)
In base-twelve, the powers of twelve are written 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000
etc., etc. So there would be no problem with adopting it in this regard.
Sure we'd have to invent new prefixes if we were to continue to think of
kilo, mega, giga et.al. as base-ten related. I'll leave that as an
exercise for someone with more time and inclination.
> The much better, _businessman's_ way of thinking:
> 12inch -> 1ft, 3ft ->1yd, 1627yd -> 1 mile
> uh... it's not 1627, I actually wouldn't have a clue how this system
> works...
> But it's _obviously_ much easier to use than the metric system. For a
> start, all those numbers in the metric system are the same! You could
> forget which one was for which conversion, or something! :oP
That's not a duodecimal system. That's the Imperial system, and it uses
different bases at different place value locations.
The word 'inch' and the word 'ounce' are both derived from the Latin
'unicae' meaning 'unit'. Despite that, there are now a different number
of 'unicae' in a foot (12) and a pound (16). The fact there are then 14
pounds in a stone (which only the British use these days) or 3 feet in a
yard doesn't bear thinking about.
> As evil as a base-10 system is supposed to be, I don't mind it.
All bases are base-10: There are 10 kinds of people; Those who
understand binary and those who don't.
> I can comfortably think in base 2, or base 16. I _like_ base 16.
You make a good point here. Base-sixteen (aka 'Hex' even though that's
base-six) is the first base that DEADBEEF is a valid number as well as a
statement in favour of the vegetarian movement.
Carl
--
[ Carl R White == aka () = The Domain of Cyrek = ]
[ Cyrek the Illogical /\ www.cyreksoft.yorks.com ]
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