Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveDallas
Speak for yourself. I can calculate in any base you care to name. Our current system for representing numbers* with numerals* according to place values is flexible enough to accommodate this. Are the numerals customarily used to represent individual digits arbitrary? Of course. Duh.
What comes after 9þ?
No, I want to see you do decimals.
*Yes, there's a difference between numbers and numerals.
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Logically, after 9þ (ninety-ten) comes þ1 (tenty-one).
Decimals are a lot of fun, and the representation changes depending on degree of accuracy indicated (i.e. number of significant figures).
1.5 is still 1.5, but 1.50 becomes 1.4þ and 1.500 becomes 1.49þ
In this way, we know that we really mean three or four significant figures, and are not just writing down what the calculator or spreadsheet gives us (I see this error all the time). Of course, there's still plenty of room for human error.