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Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 13:48:41 +0200
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Subject: [lojban-beginners] Re: Why 16
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HeliodoR wrote:

> Umm... we're not speaking about the same issue. :)
> My question was about basic names for digits, from {no} to {vai}: why 
> do we have exactly 16 of them?

You can cover all numbers with very few digits - one is enough (peano 
arithmetic), two is more common (binary code). For various reasons (for 
example, conserving the short-cmavo-namespace, and also for having fewer 
to remember) you'd want as few as possible. But you also want enough of 
them to cover the popular numerical bases. Speaking in hexadecimal with 
only ten numerals is annoying since there'd be ambiguity between B5 
{papa mu} and 1F {pa pamu}, so we need at least sixteen.

As few as possible + at least sixteen -> sixteen.

(BTW, this doesn't cover twenty-based systems such as the mayan system.)

mi'e snan