Different intelligent species use different numerical symbols, obviously, and also have different base numbers. For example, the six-fingered Monwaingi use the base, six, whereas the ten-fingered Vorlakkar use the base, ten. But that still does not tell us whether, despite these differences, they all use an essentially "Arabic" system, e.g., the Monwaingi would need:
a symbol for zero;
a single different symbol for each of the numbers one, two, three, four and five.
The Monwaingi would then represent six by their symbol for one followed by their symbol for zero. Thus, their numbers from one to twelve would not be:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
- but, instead, would be their equivalents of:
1
2
3
4
5
10
11
12
13
14
15
20
Poul Anderson describes Ramri of Monwaing getting the figures wrong in a Vorlakka ship precisely because this issue of different number systems will be a crucial plot element later.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Just as a hasty thought I wondered if Monwaingi would more naturally think of our 6 as and adding together of their numbers for 1 and 5, and so on.
But I'm nothing like any kind of advanced mathematician!
Ad astra! Sean
The ETIs encountered in "Project Hail Mary" use a base 6 positional number system.
Also humans sometimes use a non-decimal positional number system.
The Maya number system was base 20.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_numerals
Electronic computers use base 2 numbers. Often the bits (binary digits) are used in group of 3 for base 8 or more commonly 4 for base 16.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal
Kaor, Jim!
You understand or know more about mathematics than I do! The most advanced text I have on the subject is Isaac Asimov's REALM OF NUMBERS (Fawcett Crest, 1981). And that covers only the basics.
Ad astra! Sean
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