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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[-] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

I like your way, learning as an adult.

But if you were to hypothetically teach a child, then binary would be easier, and they eventually would memorize the positions.

Although realistically by the time they need their second hand, they probably don't need to be counting on their fingers anymore. And I don't think either of these systems is especially helpful for higher math, unless you're multiplying or dividing by a power of 2. Maybe? I forget my 2s compliment operations now.

this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026

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