Exactly. What we did was backwards. We shouldn’t have changed our measurement system to base10, we should’ve changed our counting system to base12.
Comment on What has he done to deserve this?
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago10 can only be divided evenly by 2 and 5. 12 can be divided evenly by 2, 3, 4, or 6. The Babylonians were right, base12 is superior to base10.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 1 month ago
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Stupid Achaemrnid Empire fucked us all
ivanafterall@lemmy.world 1 month ago
You still can!
rbos@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Should’ve. Didn’t. Oh well. Stuck with it.
rbos@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
In retrospect I definitely would have liked a duodecimal metric system, but we have what we have at this point. It’s good enough and a DAMN sight better than imperial.
tuhriel@discuss.tchncs.de 1 month ago
That would be an argument…IF it would be consistently 16 between each unit
Il leave this one here to see if it’s 16 every time: youtu.be/r7x-RGfd0Yk
Spoiler: it’s not!
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I’m not defending the imperial system. I’m saying the metric system is also stupid and we should have gone with something base12 instead of base10. There’s nothing special or magical about the number 10, our numberical system is only base10 because we have 10 fingers. That’s not much better than a foot being based on the size of the kings boot.
interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Hexadecimal or bust
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
16 is only divisible by 2, 4, and 8. Base12 wins again.
5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Mars Climate Orbiter.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
How do you know they don’t use base12 on mars?
5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Well, someone did.
ramenshaman@lemmy.world 1 month ago
“Hey could I borrow a drill bit?”
“Sure, what size?”
“Seventeen sixty-fourths”
“Fuck you”
Sorry man I think in 2024 you’re objectively wrong.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 1 month ago
You’re pointing out the problem in base10 having too many fractions that don’t divide cleanly. This is why base10 is shit.
Low IQ Base10: 17/64 - 0.265625
Equivalent expression in Chad Base12: 15/54 - 0.323
ramenshaman@lemmy.world 1 month ago
This post is about the metric system, not base 10 vs base 12. Metric is superior to imperial.
Also 15/54 is in no way more convenient than 17/64, I’m assuming you’re joking.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It’s the same number in different bases and our friend you replied to was pointing out that it was a mistake to adopt base10 measuring instead of throwing out base10 counting was a mistake. And he was right.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
And the metric system would be better still if it was base12. It’s time for a replacement.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
And both are inferior to a hypothetical base12 system. So lets invent one.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I’m enjoying you playing devil’s advocate here thoroughly.
Lemmy is so pigheaded sometimes with certain topics that all they see is one side of everything.
uis@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Let’s use BasePi then
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
“hey can I borrow a drill bit?”
“Sure, what size?”
“0.33333333333333333333333333333333 centimeters”
ramenshaman@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Metric drill bits are measured in mm and hardy anybody needs that much precision. I have a set of metric drill bits in 0.1mm increments and I might not ever need greater precision than that. Maybe in some lab environments they need greater precision but I imagine once you’re on that level it would be custom anyway.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
0.33333… is what happens when you try to divide 10 by 3. This is because 10 is such a broken number that 1/3rd (a pretty common fraction) becomes an infinitely repeating decimal. In base12, 1/3rd is 4. Metric is broken by design because it’s based on base10. Lets take the lessons learned from the metric system and invent something new, something better, something base12.
Thorry84@feddit.nl 1 month ago
Oh you don’t have a seventeen sixty-fourths? No problem, just give me a letter H sized drill bit, that’ll do fine.