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daffadowndilly
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on: February 01, 2005 12:14
the quenya tengwar lesson gives the numbers up to 11. Does this mean they use an 11-based number system? the example it gives for writing it doesn't use an 11-based system, and besides an 11-based system wouldn't make sense. we use a 10-based system probably because we have 10 fingers, and a 12-based system for measuring because 12 is divisible by a lot of numbers. but 11 doesn't correspond to any part of the anatomy that i know of and is also a prime number.
Uialdil_i_degilbor
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Post RE: numbers
on: February 01, 2005 01:39
There are two known counting systems in Middle-earth: the decimal and duodecimal systems. The Eldar used the duodecimal (base 12) system, while the Edain preferred the decimal (base 10) system.
daffadowndilly
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Post RE: numbers
on: February 02, 2005 02:02
thanks. so, if i use the numbers 0-9 as themselves and ~ for 10 and # for 11, the number 15, for example would be 13? argh i'm confused. so counting would go like this: 1, 2, 3....9, ~, #, 10, 11.......right? ugh this is confusing.
Lambengolmo
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Post RE: numbers
on: February 03, 2005 03:37
For the duodecimal system, yes.
Námovaryar
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Post RE: numbers
on: February 09, 2005 09:27
If you think that's bad, try working in binary. Yes, that is how it goes in a base-12 system. 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,~,#,10,11, and so on up, and up, and up. Bit of a problem relating to that, by the by. Thingol's hall of Menegroth is translated as Thousand Caves; BUT, is that 1000 base ten or 1000 base 12(1728 base 10)? It's a good sized difference either way, and it matters in our Elvish anthropology.

[Edited on 9/2/2005 by Námovaryar]
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