3

This probably isn't a great question, but I was just wondering that why is the decimal number system used around everywhere( not talking about machine languages). My first thought was that it appears to be the most "natural"; but couldn't really explain this thought except for the fact that we have 10 fingers which makes the decimal system an obvious choice if we are counting stuff on our fingers. And it has really got me thinking. Why (and how) did it get so popular?

Is there any historical/intuitive reason, or perhaps a more fundamental and deeper reason that we are so used to it? Or is it just chance?

GRrocks
  • 589
  • 1
  • 6
  • 16
  • 3
    http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/166869/is-10-a-magical-number-or-i-am-missing-something –  Mar 21 '16 at 11:40
  • 1
    A healthy, normal human has ten fingers. That's why we use the number system that we do. – Arthur Mar 21 '16 at 11:50
  • so you didn't learn the binary numbering system at school ? – reuns Mar 21 '16 at 11:56
  • @user1952009 i DID learn binary octal etc.....that is probably why I asked the question – GRrocks Mar 21 '16 at 12:38
  • @Arthur so is that the sole reason which has made it so popular? – GRrocks Mar 21 '16 at 12:38
  • A calculating giraffe definitely would choose the binary system. – Michael Hoppe Mar 21 '16 at 12:41
  • @GRrocks I assume so. There is no other reason that I know for choosing it above eight or twelve. – Arthur Mar 21 '16 at 12:53
  • @GRrocks yes but you learnt those in computer science or maths courses, at the age of ~18 ? I had a teacher who tried to teach us the binary system when I was ~10, I wonder if other people did too. – reuns Mar 21 '16 at 13:12
  • @user1952009 yes well we are learning it this year (I am 16); but I had studied it on my own when I was about 12....and sounds like you had a great teacher :) – GRrocks Mar 22 '16 at 04:31

1 Answers1

2

A number of different systems were used in historic times; eg the Babylonian number system used base 60 (and there are still remnants of its use in the measurement of time and angles); the Roman number system (I, II, III, IV ...); the Aztec apparently used a base 20 system.

Decimal numbers originated in India and were adopted by Middle Eastern countries (and so are called the Hindu-Arabic system). Who knows why they chose ten different symbols, but I suspect the reason their system caught on was that it included a really simple place-value system which made arithmetic, even division, much easier than with other number systems (ever tried to divide LXIVII by XVI without doing any conversions?)

So, it might be simply the case that, as with many technological competitions, the one that was most useful at the time won out, even if it's not necessarily 'the best'

robert timmer-arends
  • 471