this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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[–] expatriado 19 points 1 year ago

TIL Jaden Smith is on Lemmy

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

If 4 did not exist, then you would be using a base-4 quarternary numbering system (which is able to use the numbers 0,1,2,3)

The system will be similar to how our base 10 numbers work, but instead of counting to 9 before adding a trailing zero and becoming 10, you would count to 3. So 2 plus 2 would roll past 3, and equal 10.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Could also be using a base 3 or binary system. Or the ever elusive base 1 system.

How many of those do you have?

111

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Technically a base 1 system cannot exist (effectively), because it would mean you were counting from zero (nothing). All base systems for real "math" have to index from null. You couldn't even count using 0, 00, 000, 0000 because how would you know if the first 0 indicated actually zero, or was it the first item? You could only identify it by the absence of all marks, which doesn't work in math or any modern setting.

Number systems are weird. I hate math sometimes.

[–] markr 3 points 1 year ago

In an oddly appropriate way, base 1 simply uses 0s to add a place holder for each counted item. In other words ‘4’ base 1 is ‘0000’. It exists but it defeats the purpose of symbolic representation of counted items by requiring the observer to count the digits.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

"Two plus two is... ten. IN BASE 4, I'M FINE!"

[–] Chickenstalker 6 points 1 year ago

Posting while high should be a bannable offence.

[–] fubbernuckin 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Yes, but Has Anyone Really Been Far Even as Decided to Use Even Go Want to do Look More Like?

[–] fubbernuckin 3 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Literally 1984

[–] AbouBenAdhem 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] Dem_Bo_Sain 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] AbouBenAdhem 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you’re working in modulo 3 arithmetic.

[–] Dem_Bo_Sain 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

because 4 doesn't exist...

...I suppose it could also be 10.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

or 11 if 3 doesn't exist either

[–] InverseParallax 4 points 1 year ago

There are only 10 types of people in the world...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You’ve inadvertently hit on the beginnings of an apparent paradox to do with the relationship between numbers and the counting numbers

Suppose the largest number you can have is X and the smallest number you can have is -Y. Then between -Y and X, you can count X+Y numbers which is clearly larger than X. But X is the largest possible number so X+Y doesn’t exist.

[–] surewhynotlem 1 points 1 year ago

suppose the largest number

Gotta stop you right there. A largest number doesn't and can't exist. If we introduce one, paradoxes arise all over the place and the whole system falls apart.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is not StonerThoughts.

[–] creditCrazy 2 points 1 year ago

Oh so that's why big brother is telling everyone that 2+2=5 man if only the administry of truth did a better job at explaining his conclusions we wouldn't have a need to re educate people

[–] surfb 1 points 1 year ago