You can count past 1,000 on your fingers by using binary, instead of just 10 (www.mathsisfun.com)

submitted 1 month ago by cm0002@lemmy.cafe to c/til@lemmy.ca

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YSK You can count past 1,000 on your fingers by using binary, instead of just 10

With just one hand, you can count to 31, and with both hands you can reach a whopping 1,023. This is because the placement of the held up fingers matters, rather than the amount.

It can be very useful in everyday use, being able to count to huge numbers when you don't have your phone or pen and paper nearby.

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[-] lvxferre@mander.xyz 2 points 1 month ago

Worst hypothesis, even if counting just to 8, you're still using a single hand, so it's an improvement over counting to 5 with fingers. Couple it with the other hand and you're counting up to 64.

There's also the Chisanbop method @hesh@quokk.au mentioned, for that your unbending joint shouldn't be an issue, and it allows you to count to 9 with a single hand (99 with both).

this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026

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