Re: Numbers from 1-10

Andrew Patterson <endipatterson@...> wrote:
>
> You will notice that ten can be divided by one two and five,(three
> factors) but twelve can be divided exactly by one, two, three, four and
> six (five factors)and indeed although five and seven don't divide twelve
> exactly, they do divide to produce a non recurring fraction in base
> twelve. Note that to write 1/3 or 2/3 as a decimal you get a recurring
> fraction.
    What do you mean by "non recurring"?  Do you mean "terminating"?  If so,
you're wrong.  1/5 is .249724972497... in base 12 and 1/7 is .183518351835...
base 12.  In general, if the denominator of a fraction (expressed in lowest
terms) is divisible by any prime which is not a divisor of the base, then
the equivalent decimal expansion will not terminate.
    ObConlang: 1/5 in Gladilatian is "mnatwefeot zno", where "mnat" is a
preposition meaning "composed of" or "divided by", "wefe" is "five", "ot" is
a nominalizing suffix, and "zno" is "one".  Similarly, 1/7 is "mnathzutot
zno".

 ===========================================================================

                 Dennis Paul Himes    <>    himes@cshore.com
                   http://home.cshore.com/himes/dennis.htm
        Gladilatian page: http://home.cshore.com/himes/glad/lang.htm

Disclaimer: "True, I talk of dreams; which are the children of an idle
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the air."                      - Romeo & Juliet, Act I Scene iv Verse 96-99