cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/53581443
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.
65 Comments
dhork@lemmy.world · 67 pts · 201d
It can be very useful to know how to count to 4 this way, especially as a signal to other drivers regarding your level of displeasure
Naz@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 201d
You can rate their driving on a 0-10 scale using this handy system
dhork@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 201d
We can go further, you can rate them from 0x00 to 0x1F
hemmes@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
Don’t you mean from 0x00 to 0x0A?
dhork@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 201d
No, you have five fingers
its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 201d
132 also feels like a good signal number.
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml · 37 pts · 201d
time for this classic again:
0 ✊
1 👍
2 ☝️
3 👆
4 🖕
hakunawazo@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 200d
22 will shock you
metallic_substance@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 201d
I can count to 21 if I take off my shoes and pants
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 200d
Though there's a bit of a delay counting to and back from 21.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 20 pts · 201d
Big numbers are cool, but you can actually count to 100, not 10, in decimal, by using two hands.
On your right hand:
Pointer = 1
Pointer + Middle = 2
Those + Ring = 3
Those + Pinky = 4
Thumb alone = 5
Thumb + Pointer = 6
Those + Middle = 7 Those + Ring = 8
Those + Pinky = 9
Now hold up your left hand and stick your pointer finger out. Put all right fingers down. That's 10.
So I've shown you how to count to 10 on one hand. The other hand is the tens place, so by having two hand signals that go up to 10, you have two digits and therefore 100. And once you know the trick, it's super easy to read, too. If you're gesturing to someone else, reverse the hands so they can read it left to right.
dhork@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 201d
As long as we are going that far, maybe we should stick to a system that if already in use
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 201d
Cool! I imagine ASL goes higher than 20? Because if it didn't, the system I learned wins since it can go 0-100.
I think the one I learned is easier to learn/memorise, too.
But since we're talking about counting/doing math on your fingers, I'm not sure which is easier. That said, the one I learned was from a YouTube video about mental calculations. They said that was how they counted really fast. Still subjective, though.
AliasVortex@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
ASL can count as high as you need to, it gets kind of tedious after about a 999, because of all the place markers that need to be added in (like manual counting, or spelling out a number on a check), but one can sign up to 999 with a single hand. for numbers up to 99, it's more or less using the chart above. For everything after that you mark the hundreds place with the letter C and then go on the rest of the number (476, would be signed 4 C 76). Beyond that, it's just a matter of adding on the place value signs for "THOUSAND", "MILLION", etc. (which are two handed signs) so, 456,789 would be signed as 4 C THOUSAND 56 7 C 89.
The exception to this would be strings of numbers, like phone or room numbers, where you sign them much like how they'd be spoken. So when directing someone to room 235, you'd just sign 2 35 (the concept of hundreds isn't really important here, because in most cases, the leading 2 just means the room is on the second floor).
Edit: ASL is very visual so here's a link (with the caveat that there's variations in signs between signers/ regions, so online stuff may be different than what folks in your area are using)
CaptPretentious@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
So growing up I was taught ASL. And I can tell you, knowing how to count high on a single hand REALLY helped in my lower grades for math. I used to see kids put down their pencil to keep counting, and I'd be counting on my fingers with one hand. Very practical.
And when you get older, if you and your friends know ASL, you can sign across rooms (like noisy bars). Just throwing that out there.
zeca@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 201d
Uhh, 100 uses 3 digits.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 201d
True.
But, two thumbs up = 100 and no fingers up at all = 0.
It's like rolling "1d100" in D&D. Unless you actually have a 100-sided die (a ball with a weight in it so it eventually stops with a number up), you roll 2d10 and declare in advance which one is the tens place (some have a zero at the end of each digit, so that's tens by default). That gets you 1-100 with no zero option.
So, you're right that two digits have 100 numbers, 0-99. The dice system has 100 numbers, 1-100. The hand system I described goes 0-100. So technically one of those is a 3 digit number. But, the system allows it and doesn't (easily) allow any more 3 digit numbers.
lemmyng@piefed.ca · 7 pts · 201d
So how would you distinguish this from 55?
doctordevice@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 201d
Yeah, I think they're confusing themselves a little bit. Which is unfortunate because it's a pretty good system actually, it just counts 0-99 not 0-100 like they're claiming.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 200d
Heh... yeah. So maybe it can only go to 99... /shrug
lemmyng@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 201d
you can also count to 12 on one hand, by counting the segments on your index through pinky fingers with the thumb. Fingertips are 1-4, middle segments 5-8, lower segments 9-12.
MCTamTam@feddit.org · 18 pts · 200d
SomethingBurger@jlai.lu · 23 pts · 200d
4? What do you mean?
5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.org · 14 pts · 201d
Yeah… but make sure to turn away from people when reaching 4, 128 and 132
(Probably also at 644 and 645)
::: spoiler Tap for explanation 🖕 :::
schnokobaer@feddit.org · 10 pts · 201d
OK, but should I?
kaulquappus@feddit.org · 1 pts · 201d
Yeah, everybody please respect the honor system and use decimal for numbers up to ten, binary for numbers up to one.
If you absolutely have to count to e.g. 20 in decimal, just count to ten twice.
RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 201d
Instructions unclear: accidentally cast clone jutsu
Treczoks@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 200d
Beware of the 132.
Nobilmantis@feddit.it · 3 pts · 200d
enbiousenvy@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 200d
clever
bdonvr@thelemmy.club · 7 pts · 201d
You will hurt your tendons trying, but you can.
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 200d
No? I've been counting like this for like 20 years
bdonvr@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 200d
Maybe you're used to it. Putting up just my ring finger is hard and uncomfortable
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 200d
I don't try to put my pinky all the way down, the difference between a 1 and 0 on that finger is about 90°, though it rolls a bit depending on the other fingers. As long as you can tell the difference between up and down, you don't have to be that strict about the exact positioning
WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 201d
I can count to a thousand without my hands at all. In fact, I could probably go way higher than that.
psoul@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 200d
Why stop at binary? You can do ternary with three positions for each finger: extended, bent, curled.
edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
I learned about this because of Masahiro Sakurai, I think it was in a Nintendo Direct, but damn he did it so fluidly it was crazy, looked like he was doing Naruto magic
qevlarr@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 200d
In binary, I can even count beyond 1,000,000,000 using my 1,010 fingers
qc_butter1@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 199d
You only need 30 fingers to count beyond 1 billion in binary. 2^30 = 1,073,741,824. The power of exponents 🤪
qevlarr@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 199d
Woosh lol
Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 200d
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 201d
Sure, but good luck putting up 15 with that system. Just try it: raise all your fingers except for your pinkie!
entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org · 3 pts · 201d
Easy, I pin my pinky against my leg.
The biggest hassle with it is just remembering or constantly recalculating which combination of fingers is which number
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 201d
Ahh if I do that it’s a really uncomfortable stretch feeling on the back of my hand!
I don’t have any issues with counting in binary though. If my fingers could cooperate I could do it. Adding in binary is easy enough too.
entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org · 1 pts · 201d
See, I don't trust myself to keep track of which digit is 8 vs 16 vs 32, so I end up recalculating to double check my work even though I usually have it right the first time.
I'm sure if I practiced it more I'd have it down cold, but it's just how my OCD brain works
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 201d
Yeah, and ultimately it’s rather silly to practice because it’s not that practical anyway, especially when everyone has a calculator on their phone.
entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org · 1 pts · 200d
Exactly, you get it
asmoranomar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
I don't understand. Can you not do this? Please don't tell me this is my superpower...
Konstant@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
It’s your super power! My pinkie finger and ring finger are linked. I can’t close my pinkie all the way while keeping the ring finger straight.
zqps@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 199d
It's not like it needs to be perfect in form.
Your middle finger and ring finger are also linked. Keeping only the ring finger straight is more difficult than curling only your pinkie.
suff@piefed.social · 2 pts · 200d
That's why it's called digital.
capuccino@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 201d
use your fingers' phalanx to count using base 12 instead
olafurp@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 200d
I got a nice and easy method to represent 25 numbers on one hand. You have 12 segments of the non-thumb fingers and you can hold your finger on the front or side as you go through them. Closed fist represents a zero or 25. Use two hands multiplicative to get to 600.
Alatain@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
I don't really see how that is better than the count to 1035 that you get from binary though.
olafurp@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
You just have to add two numbers. With the big number hand you can count hundreds by using the closest segments first, then medium then distant and so on. Hardest additions will make you carry the one once for a case like 19+175 which is easy enough. Also, going from 37 to 38 in binary with fingers you have to close 4 fingers and open one while counting segments you at most move your thumb to the next segments on both hands.
Binary still works fine and is better depending on the specific case but in my opinion counting segments is usually more convenient and base 10 friendly.
EonNShadow@pawb.social · 2 pts · 199d
I developed this skill at a young age because I grew up in a nerdy family
It's unfortunately only really useful as a party trick and not super practical
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 201d
Hence the prayer beads were made obsolete.
Lembot_0006@programming.dev · -1 pts · 201d
In decimal I can show a 1'111'111'111 with fingers. A billion is bigger than a thousand.
markz@suppo.fi · 5 pts · 201d
You can show that much, but not count to it. With 10 fingers you have 1024 unique permutations, so stsrting from 0, you can only get to 1023.
It could still be possible if you're able to handle your fingers in more than 4 positions and are very patient.
Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 201d
Mmm but what if I flip my hands over - gives me 4096...
Hands thumb towards vs thumb away from me? 16384...
Introduce a finger bent state and now we're at 944,784...
Straight/bent a little/bent a lot/closed + 4 hand orientations each gets you over 16M
markz@suppo.fi · 4 pts · 201d
As I said, more than 4 positions.
olafurp@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
Pretty sure that's a joke mate.
belluck@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 201d
But you can’t count until more than 10 in unary. That’s what’s being compared here.
zeca@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 201d
With only two states for each finger, you cant count past 1 in decimal. You can count up to 10 in unary.
Hule@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
Joke, right? Unary 1,111,111,111 is decimal 10..
eleijeep@piefed.social · 3 pts · 201d
*unary