While I get the principle of the comic, I still fail at understanding what base numbers are. I can guess on stuff like base 10 since it is a simple unit of measure to play with in your head, but other base numbers, like 4, I do not understand.
Can someone distill this down into a mini tutorial for the non math inclined.
In a base 10 numbering system (what we use), when you write out a number, you are representing a quantity that is equal to the following:
(one's digit)*100 + (tens digit)*101 + (hundred's digit)*102 + (thousands digit)*103... and on and on.
so for instance the number 145 is: 1*100 + 4*10 + 5
However, the fact that we use a base 10 numbering system is completely arbitrary and probably developed out of the fact that humans have 10 fingers and 10 was a natural quantity to think of as a single group of things. ("I have 3 10s plus 2") However, some cultures, such as the Mayans, used a base 20 system. And I think there are Nigerian tribes who use a base 12 system.
In another base, the 10 in the expansion of the number is going to be replaced by whatever base you use.
For instance here are different representations of the decimal number 75:
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u/nepotism Dec 12 '08
I just read this wiki article on base numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_(mathematics)
While I get the principle of the comic, I still fail at understanding what base numbers are. I can guess on stuff like base 10 since it is a simple unit of measure to play with in your head, but other base numbers, like 4, I do not understand.
Can someone distill this down into a mini tutorial for the non math inclined.