this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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We should count in base four (feddit.nu)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by Hjalamanger@feddit.nu to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
45 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

We have basic words for the numbers zero to three, so why not use them to count?

  • None (0)
  • Single (1)
  • pair (2)
  • Multiple (3+ but we'll use it as three)

So with those "digits" we can construct some numbers:

  1. Single
  2. pair
  3. Multiple
  4. Single nothing
  5. Single single
  6. Single pair
  7. Single multiple
  8. Pair of nothing
  9. Pair of singels
  10. Pair of pairs

And of course we can construct bigger numbers like:
42 = 4²×2+4¹×2+4⁰×2 = pair of pairs of pairs
128 = 4³×2 = pair of absolute complete nothinges For this last one I just use some adjectives to repeat the "nothing" as it looks really weird with multiple nothing in a row.

The distance between Stockholm and Gothenburg is a single multiple of none multiple multiples

Could I have a single multiple of bananas please?

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[–] antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Should be single syllables to speak. Nil, bit, pair, few.

15 is a few few. 12 is few nil.

But for more than 2 digits, I think we need something better than just spewing digits. I would propose a vowel suffix for the higher digits. Y, O, and A. So 63 becomes few-y few few, and 64 is Bit-Y or “bitty”. Don’t need to say the nils after. 65 is Bitty bit. 255 is FewO FewY few few, followed by 256 which is Bitta.

[–] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 2 points 8 months ago

Smart, I like the shorter words. And for the suffixes your basically picking based on the digits position from the left? So you suggest the suffixes: Place | suffix

      |

1 place | 4 place | 16 place | Y 64 place | O 256 place | A

I believe we'd have to continue a bit longer and maybe also have a suffix for 4th place? I would suggest using both prefixes and suffixes, maybe in this order: Place | suffix | prefix

      |

|

1 place | | 4 place | |A 16 place | A |A 64 place | O |A 256 place | Y |A 1024th place || O 4096th place | A | O

... And so on, you can probably see how you could keep going in order to express any number up to 16777216. After that we might have to start using two letter prefixes/suffixes like "la", "ro" or whatever

[–] WhyAUsername_1@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Alright, you have had enough. Pass me the blunt.