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Contemporary Mathematics

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Additive Systems

Go online. Google “additive number systems.”What system comes up?

  • Describe the additive system you found.

Using Google, identify three more additive systems of numbers.

  • Compare and contrast the systems you found. For instance, how many times can a symbol be used before a new symbol is used.
  • Identify three situations where additive systems are still used.

Computers and Bases

Use Google to determine what base computers use.

Were other bases attempted for use in computers?

Determine why the base used in computers is appropriate.

Determine how the base used in computers is related to the circuitry in computers.

Determine how Boolean logic and the base used in computers are related, and might be identical.

There is research into using quibits in computers. Find out what quibits are and how can they improve computing speed.

Cultures Using Base Systems Other Than 10

Using Google, find three cultures, other than Babylonian or Mayan, that use base systems other than 10.

  • Tell what base is used for each system.
  • If possible, determine why the culture used that base system.
  • Choose one of those systems. Explain that base system. Be sure to address whether the system is additive, place-value based, a blend of the two, and if it employs a zero.

History of Zero

Using any resources available to you, determine the history of 0 in at least three different numbering systems. Address at least when and why such a development occurred and why a 0 is vital to the use of a positional system.

Numbering Systems from Other Global Regions

Using any resources available to you, find at least three numbering systems from sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, China, or the Pacific Islands. Explore if they are positional or additive systems (or combinations!), the terminology of the system, if they used a 0, and what base they employed (if positional).

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