Re: Chiming in (was Re: Evolving shades of meaning (was Re: LUNATIC again))

Nik Taylor wrote:

> There's no problem with repeating decimals, that's only because we
> happen to use 360 degrees.  If we divided a circle into, say, 77
> degrees, then there'd be no problem.
But then the beauty of the rest of the system would be lost. I was just
marvelling that so many numbers divide evenly into 360 - from 1 to 20,
the only ones that don't are 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 (all prime I notice - a
coincidence? I don't think so.). Perhaps this is why it was selected? 7,
11, and 13 all numbers associated with luck?...I think I'll stop free
associating before my brain implodes.

Anyway, thanks to Nik, Laurie, Eric, and Sam for responding. This, of
course, makes perfect sense. Obviously, I temporarily got stuck in the
base-ten groove and couldn't get out - and Ge'arthnuns a language that
revels in the number seven - tsk, tsk.

Kou