49 min listen
50: Episode "101" (Bases)
ratings:
Length:
46 minutes
Released:
Aug 31, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Numbering was originally done with tally marks: the number of tally marks indicated the number of items being counted, and they were grouped together by fives. A little later, people wrote numbers down by chunking the number in a similar way into larger numbers: there were symbols for ten, ten times that, and so forth, for example, in ancient Egypt; and we are all familiar with the Is, Vs, Xs, Ls, Cs, and Ds, at least, of Roman numerals. However, over time, several peoples, including the Inuit, Indians, Sumerians, and Mayans, had figured out how to chunk numbers indefinitely, and make numbers to count seemingly uncountable quantities using the mind, and write them down in a few easily mastered motions. These are known as place-value systems, and the study of bases has its root in them: talking about bases helps us talk about what is happening when we use these magical symbols.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/support
Released:
Aug 31, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
3: TMI (Information Theory): “ABABABABABABABAB”. How much information was that? You may say “sixteen letters worth”, but is that the true answer? You could describe what you just read as “AB 8 times”, and save a bunch of characters, and yet have the same information. But what is... by Breaking Math Podcast