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[-] 1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 32 points 1 year ago

Those aliens have 3 fingers. A decimal system to them is like a system based on 14, 196, 2744, 38416, ... would be like to us - probably worse than US Customary

[-] geissi@feddit.de 19 points 1 year ago

14, 196, 2744, 38416, … would be like to us - probably worse than US Customary

I mean if they had a base 14 numerical system then a base 14 measurement system would make perfect sense.
Contrary to that, the US does use a decimal system for numbers while the various units in the US customary system do not have any common base.

[-] joel_feila@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

humans have used base 8 count the gaps between your fingers, base 12 count the joints on 4 fingers with your thumb, and base 26 by using lots of body parts.

[-] candybrie@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Number of fingers doesn't have to dictate their number system. If they're using a decimal based number system, then a decimal based measurement system is still the logical choice.

[-] 1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago

It partially does, the percentage of languages that use base 10 is nearly 100 and most that don't use base 5 or 20... Sure there's others (60 being the main one that still has an effect on most people's lives) but they're vanishingly uncommon

[-] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

It does though. Base 10 is entirely due to humans having 10 fingers.

[-] betheydocrime@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

If we had 8 fingers, or 3 fingers, or 15 fingers, we would still be using base 10. It's just that the value of "10" would be different each time

[-] Setarkus@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Took me a bit but indeed. I love this fact now

[-] kluevo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

It's the classic 'there are 10 types of people...' joke, but for a number system other than binary

[-] candybrie@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yes but (1) that isn't the only base system humans use and (2) aliens could use a base system entirely divorced from their body parts. So number of fingers doesn't have to dictate which base system is used.

[-] agitated_judge@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

They have 3 fingers on each hand and 2 toes on each foot. 10 total.

[-] LiquorFan@pathfinder.social 2 points 1 year ago

No, the problem with the imperial system is not what number it's based on. The problem is that it's not based on any number. A coherent base 14 system would be easier to use than the madness that is imperial.

[-] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago

There's no good way to predict what base they'd actually use for their numbers, but there's definitely nothing about 10 that makes it an obvious choice for an inter-species standard line the comic implies.

[-] 1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

3, 6 or 12 would be overwhelmingly likely though, inferring from all documented human language families

this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
2868 points (96.9% liked)

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