Beyond Zero and One (Andrew Smart) / quote 55 of 171
Infinitely many ways to represent numbers
Our concept of the number three can be represented as “3” in base ten, but as “0011” in binary. It is the same idea as using the word “three,” three fingers, or “III” to represent the concept of three. We likely use base ten to count because we have ten fingers and it naturally corresponds to how we count using our hands. But other cultures have used different bases, like base five. For most of us, counting in base ten seems as if it is the only way to count because it is how almost everyone in the world counts, and we begin learning to count in base ten as soon as we can talk. But in principle there are infinitely many ways to represent numbers—just as there are infinitely many numbers.