From: Ian Goddard (igoddard@erols.com)
Date: Sat May 02 1998 - 13:58:38 MDT
I believe I found the answer to the Base n
"puzzle" I raised. I also believe that the
model I presented yesterday is not only
not the solution, but it does not work.
The answer is the Alternative Number System (ANS),
which was published in the "Southwest Journal of
Pure and Applied Mathematics" (12/95), by Robert
R. Forslund. ANS seems to be more logical than
the current number system, which uses 0 as a
placeholder. ANS eliminates 0 as a placeholder.
The digit "A" replaces 10, and thus 1A = 20.
The result is that Base 1 (the tally mark system,
which is the logical reality/basis of all number
systems) is NOT invalidated as it is by our current
number system, which uses 0 as a placeholder. ANS
also results in greater data compression, expres-
sed by the use of fewer digits to express a given
number. The measure of the ability to compress
data in this fashion measures the utility of
a given number system versus tally marks.
As I see it, ANS does not invalidate 0 in its use
outside its function as a place holder, such that
even with ANS, we'd still say: y + (-y) = 0. I see
this as a preferable use of 0, since 0 essentially
means "no number," it should not be in numbers.
Here are the webpages on ANS:
http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~bforslun/rrf01.html
http://rattler.cameron.edu/swjpam/swjpam.html
http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~bforslun/bob.html
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VISIT Ian Williams Goddard ----> http://www.erols.com/igoddard
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