Should we count in 12s rather than 10s? | BBC Ideas

Is there a better way to count? We use a decimal system - based on the number 10, but some people think it would be easier to live in a dozenal world. Here is the case for counting in 12s.
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[@kadenvanciel9335]

3:25 360s? 60 squared is 3600! Get it right next time!

[@EGMusic12]

Haha! I didn’t even notice.

[@lagerku.3137]

I wouldn't have minded the metric as much, if it had been in base-12, so things were better to fraction. If the metric system _had_ used base-12, we probably would have metric measurements for time. 1;0 day is 24 hours. 0;1 (¹/¹² of a day) is 2 hours. 0;01 (¹/¹⁴⁴ of a day) is 10 minutes. 0;001 (¹/¹⁷²⁸ of a day) 4.16 seconds.

[@tryxdc]

*Non Mathsy Person* *Mathsy Person* Where is our grammarsy people?

[@CryptoGreedyMonster]

Geometry needs base count 8 or 12. Because you can't you base count 10 to equally split a circle into 4 parts like North South East and west. The 4 directions is needed in geometry.

[@anneeq008]

Duodecimal may have its origin in sub Saharan Africa. It's a very intriguing system 🤔

[@khadijaahmed5122]

U know it would be really grt if the music was a bit low . Kind of hard to focus on the matter with the loud sounds in the background.

[@Primordial_Synapse]

Perhaps abandoning the old £sd system wasn't such a great idea.

[@badatfootball9]

Pure genius

[@mariafe7050]

"Base 10 is just irritating" Are you sure? I'm pretty sure base 12 is more irritating. 1/5 in dozenal is 0.(2497) oh god

[@elvisk6632]

Base χ & base 10 compared 1/2=0.5 [0.6] 1/3=0.(3) [0.4] 1/4=0.25 [0.3] 1/5=0.2 [0.(2497)] 1/6=0.1(6) [0.2] 1/7=0.(142857) [0.(186χ35)] 1/8=0.125 [0.16] 1/9=0.(1) [0.14] 1/χ=0.1 [0.1(2497)] 1/ε=0.(09) [0.(1)] 1/10=0.08(3) [0.1] Not very irritating 😕

[@mariafe7050]

@@elvisk6632 How tf do you not find 1/5 in dozenal irritating

[@theawesomesausage]

@@mariafe7050 Because all bases have irritating fractions. base 12 is just more beneficial than base 10 in general.

[@mariafe7050]

@@theawesomesausage But fifths written in the mathematically worst way possible is ok to you? How is that beneficial?

[@theawesomesausage]

@@mariafe7050 because 5 sucks

[@JoeMamaJunk]

Lets just use base two, keep things nice and simple

[@jamesworley9888]

We should be using a base 120 with a subbase of 12. PERIOD.

[@willpoundstone71]

It is definitely a better system. But let's keep in mind the sheer difficulty in changing over: every single electronic database on earth would have to be updated simultaneously: bank balances, tax records, college transcripts, criminal records etc. And every adult would suddenly find themselves less skilled at math than their 6 year old children, forced to rely on calculators to figure out the total combined cost of items that cost $6 and $19. And how would you know if any number you came across was from the decimal era?

[@michaelbaker7499]

$23 No calculator needed. No counting up. Just taking advantage of the patterns in dozenal. I know the pattern in dozenal for the 3 times table is 3, 6, 9, 0. Six is two loads of three. Easy.

[@RHNGaming]

If you look at your fingers you'll notice that you have two creases between each of your four fingers. This splits each finger into 3 parts. This means you're able to count to 12 on your fingers because 3 parts per finger and you have 4 fingers equals 12 parts. So yes, you can count base 12 on your fingers

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

that is so stupid

[@vulpes7079]

You can count to 48 on both hands, front and back, as long as you're able to keep track of where you are. As any child is

[@ValkyRiver]

Then you'd rather count to 1023 using binary.

[@vulpes7079]

@@ValkyRiver 2 is a prime number

[@ValkyRiver]

@@vulpes7079 Of course, using a prime base for human uses isn’t really a good choice; my personal favorite is base six

[@alexbrown2666]

Base 6

[@peacehope7365]

I far prefer base 12. It's neater. I've got OCD and base 10 actually distresses me!

[@99CentRapper]

I use base 12 and base 14

[@ValkyRiver]

What about base 6? It's so much easier!

[@hmwndp]

​​@@ValkyRiverCounting the number of factors, 6 = 10.

[@ValkyRiver]

@@hmwndp have you heard of jan Misali

[@chrisg3030]

OK so it might be more convenient to divide and multiply in the the dozenal system, but does it follow that it's more convenient to 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 in 12s? And why did we ever count in 10s? Was it just because of fingers? I suggest we could have started off with a cross hair grid, like a big + sign and put counters in one or more of the four quadrants to represent different quantities. So beginning with a counter at the top left, that's 1. Top right is 2. Bottom right is 3, bottom left is 4. Two counters, bottom left and top left represents 5. And so on. When each quadrant has just one counter that's 10, because 1+2+3+4=10. That's what's cool about 10, and doesn't happen with 12.

[@TheProGamerMC20]

I like the idea of base 12, but since you asked why we’re started with 10, I guess here might be some good reasons why: Well, 12 can’t handle 30, or half of 60 (base ten), and as written as 26 (base twelve); in base 10, you get highly divisible numbers such as 720720, 360360, 144144, etc. base 12 doesn’t have those nice looking, repeating highly divisible numbers. Bowling pins (1+2+3+4) = 10, and 1/60 looks a lot better in base 10 because 10 can handle 5’s. it’s 0.016666666666, and not 4 completely random repeating digits like on base 12. Other than that, I like base 12.

[@CryptoGreedyMonster]

12×12 is 144 scared number 10x10 is 100 10x100 is 1000 the metric system is basic the dozen system creates astronomical and geometry hidden maths

[@broccolidiego2053]

@@CryptoGreedyMonster This is a common oversight by many people in the beginning. In base 12, "10" is what represent 12. 144 in base 12 is represent by "100" which is still 12 x 12 or "10 x 10" in base 12. same thing with 10 x 100.

[@peacehope7365]

I would far prefer this. I've never liked the decimal system...

[@michaelbaker7499]

Dozenal it's king. It's so much better than decimal

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

hey smart guys ...show me 347 times .023 in base 12

[@HR-QarabagAzrbaycandr]

Base 10 is unstable, because 1/3 = 0.33333333333333333.......... so we use base 12 instead.

[@Paalapitta]

Need Base 5.

[@Voivode.of.Hirsir]

That’s the worst one lol

[@mariafe7050]

No. If you add one more digit to that, you would have the best base...

[@maxlikestodraw]

@@mariafe7050 thats base 6

[@keonscorner516]

Base 6 is better

[@dara_1989]

if we use 32 numerals ... 🙄 does that make it a language 😂

[@swordfishxd-]

Its 36 u dumbo

[@meredithr9824]

What? No, then the metric system would make no sense. And as an American, I can assure you some of us would never shut up about that. Ever.

[@fegamojja]

A base 10 VERSION of the metric system would not make sense, no. However, a base 12-VERSION of the metric system would be superior of both base 10-metric aswell as imperial system. One of metric-systems advantages is simply its concistency between units, regardless of number base.

[@kadenvanciel9335]

fegamojja You too, Meredith. Both of you. There is only the metric system with centi’s and kilo’s, and the imperial system that has feet and inches.

[@PsychicAlchemy]

@@fegamojja This. A base-12 metric system would be ideal. We could measure things by 1, 10, 100, 1000, 0.1, 0.01, and so-on. It'd just be "a dozen", "a gross", "a grand gross", "a twelfth", and so-on. Base-10 offers no advantages. Base-12 offers dozens.

[@Green_Peas9999]

@@PsychicAlchemy nice pun lol

[@theawesomesausage]

the metric system is adaptable. 10 goes twelve times into 100 etc.

[@AliHammadArtist]

Rubbish...