From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,3132fa2f1b036425 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-11-03 09:11:03 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!news-out1.nntp.be!propagator2-sterling!news-in-sterling.nuthinbutnews.com!cyclone1.gnilink.net!spamkiller2.gnilink.net!nwrdny01.gnilink.net.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "Frank J. Lhota" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <49cbf610.0310311258.2024b12b@posting.google.com> Subject: Re: number_base X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Message-ID: Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2003 17:11:01 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 141.154.207.14 X-Complaints-To: abuse@verizon.net X-Trace: nwrdny01.gnilink.net 1067879461 141.154.207.14 (Mon, 03 Nov 2003 12:11:01 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2003 12:11:01 EST Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:2002 Date: 2003-11-03T17:11:01+00:00 List-Id: "Dmytry Lavrov" wrote in message news:49cbf610.0310311258.2024b12b@posting.google.com... > Seriously, > What's about base-60 ? > Our seconds/minutes/etc ? > (still joking) > Base 12 ? The ancient Babylonians counted using groups of 12. The countries that Babylon traded with, of course, counted using base 10, creating an early standards conflict. The Babylonians overcame this conflict somewhat by making frequent use of the number 60, the least common multiple of 10 and 12. The use of 60 in Bablonian mathematics lead dircetly to our current system of measuring both time (60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute) and angles (360 degrees in a full circle). Speaking of the ancients, should Ada be extended to support Roman numerals? Why can't I print 2003 as "MMIII"?