why do we use base 10?

[brum]

in our everyday life, for as long as i know we have been using base 10. why not base 9? base 8? base 16? base 50?


is it because we have 10 fingers (which is how our ancestors counted, and thus maybe made the base10 system we are so accustomed to)?

[Njorl]

Most of us have ten fingers and ten toes. There are some exceptions, a relief pitcher for the Cubs has 6 fingers on each hand, and of course, Linda Cone of ESPN has twelve toes.

I suppose we might have developed a base 5 or 20 system, or, if math were restricted to males only a base 21 system.

Njorl

[Organic]

Hi brum

Please look at this site:

http://www.psinvention.com/zoetic/basenumb.htm

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by Njorl
Most of us have ten fingers and ten toes. There are some exceptions, a relief pitcher for the Cubs has 6 fingers on each hand, and of course, Linda Cone of ESPN has twelve toes.

I suppose we might have developed a base 5 or 20 system, or, if math were restricted to males only a base 21 system.

Njorl [:D]

[Integral]

I think we should abandon metric and go straight to hexadecimal for everything.

[brum]

Originally posted by Integral
I think we should abandon metric and go straight to hexadecimal for everything.

i think we would have to make up some new "numbers" (ie the shape and design of their symbols) to replace the A, B, C, D, E, and F we use currently; otherwise, it would become too confusing if A through F was used outside of computer science -- in the general public.

[Integral]

Originally posted by brum
i think we would have to make up some new "numbers" (ie the shape and design of their symbols) to replace the A, B, C, D, E, and F we use currently; otherwise, it would become too confusing if A through F was used outside of computer science -- in the general public.

This is true. Perhaps we could steal something from Cyrillic, or even the Greek alphabet. On the other hand, a completly new set of symbols would be cool.