this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
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Funny

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submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
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[–] [email protected] 122 points 1 day ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Is that 4 in binary, then? I'm not in the know

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Yes. We normally count in 'base 10', which means each digit can go from 0 to 9 as we count up, then the digit to its left increases by one. The rightmost position is the units, the next the tens (because we use base 10), the next hundreds (or 10 times 10), and so on, with each position worth 10 times the one to its right. So the number 12 means you have 2 units plus 1 ten. 123 means 3 units, 2 tens, and 1 hundred.

Binary is 'base 2', so as we count up each digit can only go from 0 to 1 before incrementing the position to its left, and each position is worth 2 times the one to its right. So 1 still means one, but 10 is 0 units plus 1 two, and 100 is 0 units, 0 tens and 1 four, totalling 4.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Yep, and it's easily memorable because if you learn to count in binary on your fingers 4 is 🖕.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who get that joke and those who don't.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And those who weren't expecting a ternary joke.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Hm I may be getting wooshed, but this is still binary? 4 in ternary would be 11.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

(all numbers in ternary) There are 10 types of people in this world:

1: Those who know binary

2: Those who don't

10: Those who weren't expecting a ternary joke

Hope that explains it!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 23 hours ago

Ah gotcha I thought you were going off the original post. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 day ago

Ha, I missed that part. Subtle.