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submitted 11 months ago by funny@lemmus.org to c/funny@sh.itjust.works
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[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 6 points 11 months ago

The UK used to have half pennies. But then the UK also used to have 144 pennies in 1 pound.

I gather this is imperial system related.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

And/or inbred royals being in charge back then related, I bet..

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

It's the square of a dozen, 12²=144.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

shakes head inbred people and their characteristic love of math..

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Well, Newton was English 🤷...

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

True. Boy George too. Also: Vinnie Jones.

[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago

12 is arguably a better arithmetic base than 10 since it divides nicely by 2, 3, 4 and 6 instead of just 2 and 5.

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Yes, I do agree with that. It just takes time getting used to it.

[-] sukhmel@programming.dev 2 points 11 months ago

I wish some countries would go this way and use 12-based as a default, while others would use 8-based because it's closer to computers, and others will continue using 10-based.

And then no-one will denote the system used because it's the default, how's that you don't understand. Oh what a beautiful world we'd be living in 🥰

[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 0 points 11 months ago

The point is that there are benefits to several different arithmetic bases for different purposes and forming some kind of dogma around any of them is weird.

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Well, there isn't a perfect one... better just agree on using one, whichever that might be.

[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Agree, so we will all just use hexadecimal since it is a convenient way to represent both fixed point and floating point arithmetic.

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

Sure, I'm down with that if everyone else is.

[-] joranvar@feddit.nl 1 points 11 months ago

Username does (not) check out.

[-] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Ah, ASCII runs deep in this one I see 🫡.

[-] sukhmel@programming.dev 0 points 11 months ago

There is no dogma, when doing maths you're free to use anything even as esoteric as Fibonacci base. The problem is when this becomes widespread but not everywhere.

If you're for using it "for different purposes" I can't even understand the point of your original comment, why preach?

[-] MrNobody@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago

If only we had a way to have numbers smaller than 1.

[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Right, having more whole, proper fractions to work with can also be simpler (and more precise) than truncating decimals and dealing with the implications of significant figures. I just don't understand why people are so hostile to this as a basic idea. Base 12 has benefits, just like base ten does.

this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2023
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