Alternative Number System: Difference between revisions

This sort of thing is generally used as an insignificant [[Genius Bonus|throwaway joke]], as it may be a [[Viewers Are Geniuses|difficult concept]] for some viewers to grasp.

 

{{examples}}

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In ''[[Elf Quest]]'', the elves use base 8 because of their [[Four-Fingered Hands]]—that page has more details.

 

* [[Aeon Natum Engel]]: The narration from the [[Cthulhu Tech|Migou]] POV and their dialogue goes to great lengths to convey their alien thought processes, including a base-36 numbering system.

 

* The Kzinti of [[Larry Niven]]'s ''[[Known Space]]'' count in base eight.

* ''[[The Culture]]'' uses a nonary (base nine, that is) system.

* [[All There in the Manual|According to]] ''[[Star Trek|The Klingon Dictionary]]'', the Klingons used to count in a trinary (base-three) system, but have since switched over to decimal.

* In ''Footfall'', the Fithp use base 8.

Shopkeeper: XLIV.<ref>pronounced "ex-ell-eye-vee"</ref>

Customer: Well why don't you just '''say''' XLIV? Who can remember "forty-four?" }}

* The Minbari in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' use base eleven (a byproduct of using fingers, toes, and the head as "digits" for counting.)

** According to tie-in RPG materials, the Dilgar used base 25.

* In the ''[[Myst]]'' games, the D'ni have a base 25 system, in keeping with the games' general tendency to use powers of five as [[Arc Number]]s.

* The aliens in ''[[Iji]]'' use a ternary number system.

{{quote|"Two plus two equals...ten. In base four! I'm fine!"}}

* There is a popular theory among [[Half Life]] fans that the Combine use a base-17 system, based on how [[Arc Number|prominent]] 17 seems to be. If nothing, it reinforces the [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|utterly alien]] nature of the Combine.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Number Tropes]]

[[Category:Alien Tropes]]