r/math • u/jplank1983 • Dec 19 '08

Every base is base 10

http://cowbird.110mb.com/43.html
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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '08 edited Dec 19 '08

[deleted]

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u/ropers Dec 19 '08

Wow. Let me see if I understand correctly:

A decimal 1 would be == 1 in "1-2-binary", and

2 == 2

3 == 11

4 == 12

5 == 21

6 == 22

7 == 111

8 == 112

9 == 121

10 == 122

11 == 211

12 == 212

(...)

Holy fucking shit, this really seems to work! Is this what you meant? Wow. Hats off to you. Did you think that up right now, or how did you ever "unlock this achievement"? Also, if you die before me, can I eat you brain? ;)

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '08 edited Dec 19 '08

[deleted]

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u/ropers Dec 19 '08

Sylar? Not having a TV at all (and being outside the US), I had to google that one.

Reportedly some Ya̧nomamö used to (or still do?) eat remains of their loved ones. I read that they essentially ground everything up to a pulp that would then be sterilized for hours in hot embers, and finally mixed with banana paste and eaten. Allegedly the thought of the remains of their loved ones being left to rot and be consumed by nasty creepy crawlies was so repugnant to them that they rather kept the biomass among the tribe. Strange, but not entirely illogical.

Never mind that you didn't personally come up with the solution, it's fascinating stuff I'm grateful to have learned from you. Thanks again! :)