• robogeek@sh.itjust.works
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    23 hours ago

    Sumerians, 4-5000ya counted to 12 on one hand. 4 fingers with 3 sections each with the thumb as a pointer. Then the other hand counted off 5x12 which gave us yhe hexadecimal system of counting which is still in use today.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      I can count to 31 in one hand in binary. It’s not a super useful skill, but it’s won me a bar bet more than once.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        I want to go to the kinds of bars where counting in binary wins bets. Most of the time it’s things like “open a beer bottle with your eye socket”.

    • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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      21 hours ago

      Sexagesimal, hexadecimal is base 16. You could say that simply improving on mathematics lead to the hexadecimal system eventually but they did not create the hexadecimal system.

      • CrowAirbrush@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Use your thumb to “point” (touch) a section of your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky…now move up a section of the finger.

        Tada you learned it.

        The other hand goes 1 when you maxed out your finger sections, then 2 when you do it again where one equals 12 and 2 equals 24 etc.

        There’s really nothing to it, no research needed…just attempt to mimic what the comment describes and you’re there.