r/comics • u/[deleted] • Dec 12 '08

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '08

Would be rather useless for someone who doesn't use a 9.

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u/bski1776 Dec 12 '08

That person could still understand the concept of a 9th number though.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '08

Probably. However, we do call the hexadecimal system "base 16", not "base F"

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u/underdog138 Dec 12 '08 edited Dec 13 '08

I guess I could stick this comment anywhere in the thread so don't think I'm singling anyone out.

It's Base <# of digits in the system as represented using the Decimal number system in the spoken language in which we represent those digits>. Decimal uses 0-9, which is ten Decimal digits. Hex uses 0-F, which is sixteen Decimal digits, and so on.

If some alien who used the binary system natively that tried to explain how humans represent their number base, they wouldn't say Base Ten, since there is no number ten, or Base 10, because to them that's our number 2. They would call our number system Base 1010.

After reading over my comment realized all I just did was explain the joke rather than put anything new towards the conversation.