I watched the latest Numberfile video, going over what viewers' favorite numbers are. That got me thinking about my favorite number. My thoughts mulled it over for a couple of minutes, but then I thought of different number and how they looked in different number systems. The fact that I know different number systems is due to my mother, but also a clock.
Growing up we had a clock whose face looked like this. Good old Roman Numerals. I = 1 V = 5, X=10, etc. In order to tell time we had to know how to count to 12. My mother taught us not only how to read the clock but count to what ever number we wanted to in Roman Numerals. Interesting fact. Did you know that most movie production dates are still given in Roman Numerals at the end of the film? Check it out. They got a little shorter when we passed the year 2000 (MM). Before the were something like MCMXCVIII (1998). Granted, this year would be MMXIII, so still a mouthful.
I think that clock just opened up the flood gate because we learned binary and a basic understanding of any of the non-10 bases. The year, 2013, would be 11111011101 in binary, 2202120 in trinary (which is used in this card trick), many and 3 lots, 3 many and 1 lots; 3 many; and 1 in troll counting from Terry Pratchett books, and 7DD in hexadecimal. I'm still working on dozenal/duodecimal system, but it would be 11E9 (had to look up the equivalent of 10 and 11: X and E respectively). To finish up, I had a friend that was doing a masters in theoretical numbers systems. To explain it he used the example of a clock. So 2013 on a clock could very well be 8:13 pm, which is about the time I'll finally get to relax tonight.
So, the next time you see a number or you wish math wasn't so hard, think about how many different ways there are to count, or how we could have ended up counting and then be relieved that we are not trolls.
Doesn't that make you feel better.
I'm already teaching my daughter Roman Numerals. They are used as the chapter numbers in the book we're reading. She's turning five this month. Oh, and what's my favorite number? 11. But I'm not going to tell you in what system.
(All calculations were done without the use of a calculator or internet conversion device. Why, because I like math. Blame my mother... and the clock. You can check my math below.)
I think that clock just opened up the flood gate because we learned binary and a basic understanding of any of the non-10 bases. The year, 2013, would be 11111011101 in binary, 2202120 in trinary (which is used in this card trick), many and 3 lots, 3 many and 1 lots; 3 many; and 1 in troll counting from Terry Pratchett books, and 7DD in hexadecimal. I'm still working on dozenal/duodecimal system, but it would be 11E9 (had to look up the equivalent of 10 and 11: X and E respectively). To finish up, I had a friend that was doing a masters in theoretical numbers systems. To explain it he used the example of a clock. So 2013 on a clock could very well be 8:13 pm, which is about the time I'll finally get to relax tonight.
So, the next time you see a number or you wish math wasn't so hard, think about how many different ways there are to count, or how we could have ended up counting and then be relieved that we are not trolls.
Doesn't that make you feel better.
I'm already teaching my daughter Roman Numerals. They are used as the chapter numbers in the book we're reading. She's turning five this month. Oh, and what's my favorite number? 11. But I'm not going to tell you in what system.
(All calculations were done without the use of a calculator or internet conversion device. Why, because I like math. Blame my mother... and the clock. You can check my math below.)
