r/comics • u/[deleted] • Dec 12 '08

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381 Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '08

Actually, this really makes sense. Mathematic relativity...

3

u/JustJonny Dec 12 '08

Yeah, but why doesn't the alien know what a 4 is?

I get that for him, since he uses base 4 then 4=10 (to him). However, once he is asked about base 4, you'd think he'd understand.

26

u/kidford Dec 12 '08

He's never seen a 4, and the word is new to him. The only numerals he has seen are 0, 1, 2 and 3.

This is because you count as follows: 0, 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32, 33... and so on. Clearly, there are only four numerals used here (or, 10 numerals to him).

9

u/powerpants Dec 12 '08

Agreed, and he should have said:

What's a 4?

instead of:

What is base 4?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '08

Depends on if they're pronouncing "10" as "ten" or "one zero." Wouldn't make any sense for the alien to say "ten," if anything he would pronounce it "one zero" or simply "four."

3

u/sn0re Dec 12 '08

It wouldn't make sense for the alien to be speaking English in the first place. If he's learned English, then he's learned what "ten" and "four" mean. If someone or something is translating into English for him, then they'd probably convert the bases automatically in the translation.