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From: rbowman <bowman@montana.com>
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Subject: Re: evolution of bytes, The joy of FORTRAN
Date: 4 Mar 2025 07:11:48 GMT
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On Mon, 3 Mar 2025 23:11:09 -0500, c186282 wrote:

> On 3/3/25 7:36 PM, Peter Flass wrote:
>> Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>>> On Mon, 3 Mar 2025 06:54:31 -0700, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>
>>>> Some fractions that are exact in decimal are only approximate in
>>>> binary.
>>>
>>> Base-ten has two prime divisors: 2 and 5. Base-two has only 2. So any
>>> fraction that has a denominator that is the product of any integer
>>> powers of those divisors can be represented exactly, while others
>>> cannot.
>>>
>>> The need to represent 1/3 exactly is also quite common. That’s why I
>>> think the smallest place-system base that can cope with a reasonable
>>> range of fractions is 30 -- it has 2, 3 and 5 as prime divisors, and
>>> so can cope with fraction denominators made up arbitrary products and
>>> integer powers of all of those.
>>>
>>>
>> 60 is nice
> 
>    The Babylonian number system was base-60 ....
> 
>    Maybe they knew something ?   :-)

I had a very brief career as a math and science teacher.  The curriculum 
said I had to teach the kids about base-60. The school used homogeneous 
grouping with the A, B, C, and D groups. A few of the A kids enjoyed 
playing with the concept. The D kids couldn't make change in base-10 but 
the syllabus was the syllabus.