Take a Number and Build a Number System

The decimal system of notation is one of man's greatest inventions. The greatness of the invention is not in the selection of ten as the base, but rather in the system that is functional and simple-a system that works with any base that one may wish to use. There are, without doubt, a number of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Arithmetic teacher 1960-01, Vol.7 (1), p.35-37
Main Author: Willerding, Margaret F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arithmetic
Decimal system
Decimals
Duodecimal system
Mathematics education
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The decimal system of notation is one of man's greatest inventions. The greatness of the invention is not in the selection of ten as the base, but rather in the system that is functional and simple-a system that works with any base that one may wish to use. There are, without doubt, a number of bases that would have been superior to ten.1 Actually, the origin of ten as a base of our decimal system is not known. Some people state that ten was selected because man has ten fingers, but obviously such a statement oversimplifies the genius that operated in the selection of zero as the initial symbol for the decimal system of numerals.
ISSN:0004-136X
DOI:10.5951/AT.7.1.0035