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XCOMUFO & Xenocide

Alien Numbering System

Guest Azrael Strife

By Guest Azrael Strife
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stewart Commander

[stewart]

Posted
Posted
Anyone noticed the base 64 cube I posted in the number topic? What do you think?

 

 

cheers,

 

Thomas

 

Sure did but I'm not sure where you are going with this.

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mikker Colonel

mikker

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Posted
I was bored.

 

Could this be used for alien navigation?  :P

Maybe with some glowmapping on the glyphs? :)

 

Oh, you mean glowing with an omnious green glow? ... Possible :P

 

The texture just needs to be made first, would make glowmaps more usable, right?

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stewart Commander

[stewart]

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You know I was thinking about this very thing. How many degrees to the alien circle. Of course they have whatever they call radians but that's not like to be used to describe elevations or bearings.

 

BTW I was thinking 256 "degrees" to the circle.

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kafros Colonel

kafros

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Posted (edited)

Actually, that's exactly what I thought about it, but I wanted to give it a try anyway ROFL

 

 

Something simple, but interesting:

http://mathforum.org/alejandre/numerals.html

 

I guess you've already seen this, it's really worth it!!! And has a whole lot of information about ~40 numeral systems :S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base64

Edited by kafros
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stewart Commander

[stewart]

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Posted
mmmm math.

it would be logical for the aliens to use 1 numeric system as opposed to 2 as we do(the standard 10 base, and binary).

Also i dont think complex numbers should be included in their standard numeric system.

 

Me to, I think Kafros is just having sport with us.

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stewart Commander

[stewart]

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complex numbers is rather handy for solving equations, but they make no sense what so ever.

(i)^2=-1

Its crazy i tell you.

 

Your example shows an imaginary number, although technically all numbers are complex numbers complex numbers are of the form (rectangular representation):

 

a+ib where a and b are reals and i is the square root of -1. Complex numbers allow the solution of all roots to all polynomials.

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dan2 Captain

dan2

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One presumption is if the aliens are very advanced, they should have a very complex math, but the genius in math is the ability to solve in a very simple manner very complicated tasks.

The simplest math is the binary one, but al those strings tend to be quite long for rather small decimal numbers. Going to base 64 seems rather extreme, to me, but not impossible.

Base 4,8 or 16 would be convenient.

I bet aliens don't fly with pure math books for further reading, but rather they use that math for maps, navigation and computer input, so real numbers are faster to input and easier to interpret.

Another way would be they don't use algebra at all, but rather solve all problems geometrically.

Using complex numbers is not the answer here, in my view

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red knight Colonel

red knight

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Well mathematically speaking complex numbers are just an orthogonal base in a 2 dimensions space, so there is no reason why they cannot think in a 2D universe instead of a 1D universe (of numbers of course) ;) ... but I agree that the result of using a 1D universe is needed for counting physical things; so you just need a couple of symbols and numbers, the rest are compositions.

 

Greetings

Red Knight

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Qonfused Captain

Qonfused

Posted
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Actually complex numbers extend a n-th dimensional vector field into a n+1 dimensional vector field, where the extra dimension is geometrically warped(as in making no geometric sense) into a form that is allows a imaginary path of solution to several mathematical problems that would require, without the use of complex numbers, hideous complex math.

Basically complex numbers make no sense, but help us solve problems more easily.

 

Anyway, using a numeric system with a base of 8, makes no less mathematical sense then making one with a base of 10, or 11 for that matter.

The only reason we use the 2 base numeric system in computers is that early computer memory,(and current for that matter) where based on magnetism, where a bit could either be magnetically charged, or not(a.k.a. 1 and 0).

 

A numeric system based on the genetic system would have a base of 4. As genes are coded with 4 nucleotides (or something like that).

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dan2 Captain

dan2

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Binary math, the math of 0 and 1, bring the simple in the world of complex, and it has the simplest multiplication and addition tables.

Conciseness is not an attribute of binary math, that's why sometimes people use larger power of 2 bases, like hexadecimal, to express binary numbers. That's why Stewart's proposal of a 64 base seems fine yet.

I hope that aliens, if they're smart, will "keep it simple"........or X-Corps operatives might never understand what those signs mean anyway

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stewart Commander

[stewart]

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Guys lets be a little logicall. Everyday numbers are gonna be just like people they arent gonna use complex numbers when they get change from Walmart.

 

Using 2^n can be explained by suggesting a cybernetic interface. Sure 64 is big but the babilonians used 60 BEFORE CALCULATORS (heck before the abacas for crying out loud).

 

I'll work out the symbology for all number sets but everyday number are gonna be no different than people.

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kafros Colonel

kafros

Posted
Posted (edited)
mmmm math.

it would be logical for the aliens to use 1 numeric system as opposed to 2 as we do(the standard 10 base, and binary).

Also i dont think complex numbers should be included in their standard numeric system.

 

Me to, I think Kafros is just having sport with us.

 

Collocation? I don't know what it means, but somehow I think it means that I said something just to say it... In which case, you are wrong!

 

Complex numbers are very useful in many application, which most people can't even imagine. Especially in electrical engineering. Greek 12th grade contains a lesson called "Ηλεκτρολογία", electrical engineering in free translation. That book contains "miracles", and it is the most compact source of information I've seen so far. It contains a lot of complex numbers.

 

My point: The Aliens use high-tech equipment such as Navigation Systems. That stuff definitely needs advanced mathematics, especially Vector mathematics. Thus, complex numbers may be useful there.

 

Calc 3D

 

If you think Aliens don't need complex numbers and vectors, no problem. I just proposed an idea.

 

But, I think that you will like D'ni numerals

 

Everyday numbers are gonna be just like people they arent gonna use complex numbers when they get change from Walmart.
Everyday people, probably not. Mathematicians? Maybe. Aliens?!?! I think Greys would be capable of that. Mutons and cyberdics "probably" won't need it :P Edited by kafros
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stewart Commander

[stewart]

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Of course the aliens will have complex numbers but not for "everyday" use. They wont say we callected 13+i0 human specimens today, 5+i0 died in transfer.

 

And . . . ugh . . . do I remember the complex numbers in electrical engineering school. :(

 

Edit: The dni numberal have some similarities to what I have suggested.

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stewart Commander

[stewart]

Posted
Posted

I have drawn up the numbers using larger bit patterns to "smooth" them.

 

I have altered them to give them verticle clarity.

 

The light blue ones can look like language glyphs (like 0 and O).

 

post-3-1134959574.gif

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