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decimal
Although we are trained in the decimal system from birth and tend to assume that base 10 mathematics is somehow "natural," this is in fact not true. Historians of mathematics theorize that base 10 make arises from the fact that humans have 10 fingers, and thus is simply a biological artefact. Many mathematicians agree that a base 12 (duodecimal) system would be a more logical number system for day to day living, simply because the number 12 is more highly divisible than 10.
In the world of computers and technology, other number systems are commonly used. Among the most common are binary (base 2), octal (base 8), and hexadecimal (base 16).
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decimal
Decimal
The decimal numbering system, or base 10, is a numbering system based on the assumption that each digit represents a power of ten. These powers begin with 100 (1) immediately to the left of the decimal point, and increase as one moves to the left and decrease as one moves to the right. Thus, the second digit to the left of the decimal represents 101 (10) and the third represents 102 (100).Although we are trained in the decimal system from birth and tend to assume that base 10 mathematics is somehow "natural," this is in fact not true. Historians of mathematics theorize that base 10 make arises from the fact that humans have 10 fingers, and thus is simply a biological artefact. Many mathematicians agree that a base 12 (duodecimal) system would be a more logical number system for day to day living, simply because the number 12 is more highly divisible than 10.
In the world of computers and technology, other number systems are commonly used. Among the most common are binary (base 2), octal (base 8), and hexadecimal (base 16).
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