From: John Fields on 23 Dec 2009 14:01 On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:41:34 -0800, lurch <lurch(a)yourangcousinitslibrary.org> wrote: >On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:32:12 -0600, John Fields ><jfields(a)austininstruments.com> wrote: > >>On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:34:42 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell" >><mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >> >>> >>>John Fields wrote: >>>> >>>> On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:06:47 -0700, "bg" <bg(a)nospam.com> wrote: >>>> > >>>> >Metric is for people that have to count on their fingers ! >>>> >>>> I prefer base 21. >>> >>> >>> Only because 42 is the second number in that base. :) >> >>--- >>Nope, it's because I can use all my "digits" to count with. ;) >> >>JF > > metacarpals? --- No, the distal phalanges of my fingers and toes, plus one other appendage. ;) Interestingly, Indians from India count on their fingers using all of their phalanges in sequence, like this: Proximal Phalange Intermediate Phalange Distal Phalange --------------------------------+-----------------------+-------------- Little Finger 1 2 3 Ring Finger 4 5 6 Middle Finger 7 8 9 Index Finger 10 11 12 So, by using both hands, they can count up to 144 on their fingers. JF
From: Tim Williams on 23 Dec 2009 15:55 "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote in message news:taWdndblifsIzq_WnZ2dnUVZ_jxi4p2d(a)earthlink.com... >> No, the answer to "Life, the Universe and Everything" is 42. >> >> If that doesn't make sense to you, it's because you don't understand the >> question. The question is "What is six times nine?" >> >> The only way any of this works out is if '42' is in base 13. (4*13+2=6*9) > > 'So long, and thanks for all the fish' :) Ghoti? Tim -- Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk. Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
From: John Fields on 23 Dec 2009 16:16 On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:55:41 -0600, "Tim Williams" <tmoranwms(a)charter.net> wrote: >"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote in message >news:taWdndblifsIzq_WnZ2dnUVZ_jxi4p2d(a)earthlink.com... >>> No, the answer to "Life, the Universe and Everything" is 42. >>> >>> If that doesn't make sense to you, it's because you don't understand the >>> question. The question is "What is six times nine?" >>> >>> The only way any of this works out is if '42' is in base 13. (4*13+2=6*9) >> >> 'So long, and thanks for all the fish' :) > >Ghoti? --- laugh women nation ;) -- - -- JF
From: lurch on 23 Dec 2009 19:47 On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:01:00 -0600, John Fields <jfields(a)austininstruments.com> wrote: >On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:41:34 -0800, lurch ><lurch(a)yourangcousinitslibrary.org> wrote: > >>On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:32:12 -0600, John Fields >><jfields(a)austininstruments.com> wrote: >> >>>On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:34:42 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell" >>><mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>>John Fields wrote: >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:06:47 -0700, "bg" <bg(a)nospam.com> wrote: >>>>> > >>>>> >Metric is for people that have to count on their fingers ! >>>>> >>>>> I prefer base 21. >>>> >>>> >>>> Only because 42 is the second number in that base. :) >>> >>>--- >>>Nope, it's because I can use all my "digits" to count with. ;) >>> >>>JF >> >> metacarpals? > >--- >No, the distal phalanges of my fingers and toes, plus one other >appendage. ;) > >Interestingly, Indians from India count on their fingers using all of >their phalanges in sequence, like this: > > Proximal Phalange Intermediate Phalange Distal Phalange >--------------------------------+-----------------------+-------------- >Little Finger 1 2 3 >Ring Finger 4 5 6 >Middle Finger 7 8 9 >Index Finger 10 11 12 > >So, by using both hands, they can count up to 144 on their fingers. > > >JF I only get 38, and that included using the metacarpals. 19 each hand.
From: lurch on 23 Dec 2009 19:50
On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:55:41 -0600, "Tim Williams" <tmoranwms(a)charter.net> wrote: >"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote in message >news:taWdndblifsIzq_WnZ2dnUVZ_jxi4p2d(a)earthlink.com... >>> No, the answer to "Life, the Universe and Everything" is 42. >>> >>> If that doesn't make sense to you, it's because you don't understand the >>> question. The question is "What is six times nine?" >>> >>> The only way any of this works out is if '42' is in base 13. (4*13+2=6*9) >> >> 'So long, and thanks for all the fish' :) > >Ghoti? > >Tim Got Tea? |