IO 😇@lemmy.blahaj.zone to Programmer Humor@lemmy.mlEnglish · 3 days agobase 10lemmy.blahaj.zoneimagemessage-square46linkfedilinkarrow-up10arrow-down10file-text
arrow-up10arrow-down1imagebase 10lemmy.blahaj.zoneIO 😇@lemmy.blahaj.zone to Programmer Humor@lemmy.mlEnglish · 3 days agomessage-square46linkfedilinkfile-text
minus-squareflora_explora@beehaw.orglinkfedilinkarrow-up0·3 days agoCould anyone explain this to me? I get why the astronaut would think the alien counts in base 4, but I don’t understand the alien’s response
minus-squareIO 😇@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·3 days agobase 4 has just 4 digits: 0,1,2,3 so counting goes likes this: 0 1 2 3 10 11 12 13 20 and so on. since what we call 4 is written as 10 to the alien, the alien calls base 4 base 10
minus-squarechicken@lemmy.dbzer0.comlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·3 days agoSo then we would tell the alien we use base 21?
minus-squareUndertaker@feddit.orglinkfedilinkarrow-up0·3 days agoThe alien only knows base 4. The astronaut says base 4 and that he uses base 10. Think about: What is “4” in base 4? The alien says, it uses base 1 0, which is 14 + 01. So the term “base 10” (in base 4) is the same like “base 4” in base 10. The alien does not know, what base 4 is, because you cannot count to 4 in base 4.
Could anyone explain this to me? I get why the astronaut would think the alien counts in base 4, but I don’t understand the alien’s response
base 4 has just 4 digits: 0,1,2,3
so counting goes likes this:
0 1 2 3 10 11 12 13 20 and so on.
since what we call 4 is written as 10 to the alien, the alien calls base 4 base 10
Thanks :)
So then we would tell the alien we use base 21?
Yes 22 would make sense to the alien.
The alien only knows base 4. The astronaut says base 4 and that he uses base 10.
Think about: What is “4” in base 4?
The alien says, it uses base 1 0, which is 14 + 01.
So the term “base 10” (in base 4) is the same like “base 4” in base 10.
The alien does not know, what base 4 is, because you cannot count to 4 in base 4.
https://lemmy.zip/comment/23574557