Admit your ignorance - things you've only just realised/learned

[Joey Shabadoo]

 

[presta]

You can divide 12 in more ways than you can divide 10 which makes the maths easier and more flexible.

In my centrifuge example it has 24 spaces and needs to be balanced symmetrically which I can do with 2,3,4,6,8,9,10,12,14, 15,16,18,20,21,22 or 24 samples. A 20 space rotor can be balanced only with an even number and that's only by virtue of them being divisible by two, not the graceful patterns I can make in a 24 space rotor.

A lot of labware, racks etc is organised in 12s or 24s. Lots of ways to group things.

I reckon if we were picking a new base to start again with, these days it would be 16.

 

[slowmotion]

A Spitfire pilot could fire his guns for only 16 seconds before running out of ammunition.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I reckon if we were picking a new base to start again with, these days it would be 16.

Hexadecimal lines up nicely with binary but it's not divisible by 3. So one third would still have recurring "decimal" digits.

12 is where it's at.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

A Spitfire pilot could fire his guns for only 16 seconds before running out of ammunition.

Yes & each of the 8 guns only had 300 rounds each, I was gobsmacked when I first heard this.

 

[matticus]

I reckon if we were picking a new base to start again with, these days it would be 16.

There would be a referendum. Two most popular results:

- Lucky seven!

- Basey McBaseface.

 

[winjim]

There would be a referendum. Two most popular results:

- Lucky seven!

- Basey McBaseface.

A counting system with a prime number as its base would be both awful and hilarious.

 

[slowmotion]

Yes & each of the 8 guns only had 300 rounds each, I was gobsmacked when I first heard this.

I did some long range rifle shooting with 303 ammunition when I was a teenager, the same stuff that the Spitfire's eight machine guns had. The thought of 160 rounds a second from a Spitfire coming at you is pretty horrendous.

 

[Seevio]

A counting system with a prime number as its base would be both awful and hilarious.

Binary isn't my go-to when it comes to comedy but it seems to work for computers.

 

[DaveReading]

Binary isn't my go-to when it comes to comedy but it seems to work for computers.

Well yes, and no ...

 

[Beebo]

Binary isn't my go-to when it comes to comedy but it seems to work for computers.

We all know that 2 isn’t a proper prime number

 

[Tenkaykev]

Well yes, and no ...

Oh, well played sir,,,

 

[winjim]

Binary isn't my go-to when it comes to comedy but it seems to work for computers.

TBF I've also seen ternary counting systems somewhere.

It's daft for everyday use not because of the low number of factors, you can use multiples instead, but because you end up with long unwieldy strings of digits.

Presumably if a binary digit is a bit, then a ternary digit is a... tit?

 

[Dogtrousers]

TBF I've also seen ternary counting systems somewhere.

It's daft for everyday use not because the low numbers, you can use multiples instead, but because you end up with long unwieldy strings of digits.

Presumably if a binary digit is a bit, then a ternary digit is a... tit?

There's a thing called Balanced Ternary that I recall reading abou that's really interesting. Unfortunately I can't remember anything about it.

IIRC it has digits of -1 0 and 1

 

[DRM]

I did some long range rifle shooting with 303 ammunition when I was a teenager, the same stuff that the Spitfire's eight machine guns had. The thought of 160 rounds a second from a Spitfire coming at you is pretty horrendous.

Our ATC unit wasn’t allowed to use the .303 Lee Enfield’s as the rounds would have gone straight through the end of the range, then into the houses behind, we had to use the .22 calibre versions instead, all stamped WD 1918, we also used to go outside in the yard to do rifle drill, the armed police would be there in a flash nowadays!