Base 12

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
B
10
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
B
10
2
2
4
6
8
A
10
12
14
16
18
1A
20
3
3
6
9
10
13
16
19
20
23
26
29
30
4
4
8
10
14
18
20
24
28
30
34
38
40
5
5
A
13
18
21
26
2B
34
39
42
47
50
6
6
10
16
20
26
30
36
40
46
50
56
60
7
7
12
19
24
2B
36
41
48
53
5A
65
70
8
8
14
20
28
34
40
48
54
60
68
74
80
9
9
16
23
30
39
46
53
60
69
76
83
90
A
A
18
26
34
42
50
5A
68
76
84
92
A0
B
B
1A
29
38
47
56
65
74
83
92
A1
B0
10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
A0
B0
100

Here's the deal. If "ten" is defined as 10, then the value of 10 varies with the base. In base 2, 10 is the same as our "2." In base 8, 10 is our "8." In base 12, 10 is our "12." In our base 10, we count 9 objects and then we have run out of digits. We put a 1 in the place to the left and put a 0 in the ones column. This is our "10," or "ten," and it is what we have come to know as a certain number of objects. In base 12, we count to 11 objects, then we roll over to "10," but, in this case, "10" represents what we currently call 12 objects.

In the above table, 10 X 10 = 100. But, in our current counting system, there are 144 objects in the base 12 multiplication table. If we had learned how to count in base 12, we may still refer to it as base 10 today. It's just that we would have had two more symbols in the lineup of digits.

Math would have been so much simpler. If we had learned how to count in base 12, perhaps we wouldn't hear the common phrase "i'm not good at math." Perhaps we would hear the phrase, "Math? It's a walk in the park."

www.ericstromberg.com

Eric Stromberg