Klarinet Archive - Posting 000056.txt from 2010/03

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Coincidence???
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:40:40 -0400

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:26:23 -0600, Richard D Bush
<rbushidioglot@-----.net> wrote:
> Obviously, 12 is an important number for many reasons.
>
> It has a perfect number of positive divisors (6): 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and
> 12, and the sum of these is again a perfect number: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 6
> + 12 = 28.
>

Yes. Our students would have an easier time with mathematics if humans
had evolved with 6 fingers on each hand instead of 5. Our number system
would be based on 12 instead of 10. That means, for example, that the
fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/9, and 1/12 would all have exact
representations, instead of being repeating decimals.

Instead, we're left with just 1/2, 1/4, 1/5, and 1/8.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.