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A New Perspective On How Counting And Learning Mathematics Can Transform Our Relationship With The Exact Sciences
The proposal by mathematicians to create new numerals promises a revolution in the way we count and deal with numbers in our daily lives. Instead of stopping at ten, they believe we should count up to twelve, which would imply significant changes in mathematics and the way we learn, according to Superinteressante. But can this idea really make the exact sciences less traumatic for those who shy away from calculations?
What Is Behind This Idea?
We humans have an instinctive relationship with smaller numbers. For example, we can easily identify up to three objects, but from four onward, we start to hesitate. When quantities increase even more, everything becomes an estimate. However, we managed to develop a developed mathematics thanks to our ability to create numerical symbols to represent the minimums. For example, in our base 10 system, we use the numbers 0 to 9, and when we talk about this limit, we group ourselves in “packs of ten” (as in the case of the number 40, which is four times 10).
But does this division into packs of ten make the same sense? The choice of the decimal system is closely linked to biology: we have ten fingers on our hands, which makes it easier to visualize numbers when we are learning to count. This also explains why the words “digit” and “digital” derive from the Latin “digitus,” which means finger. But what would happen if we were cartoon characters with only four fingers on each hand? We would probably be counting in base 8, not in base 10.
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Why Choose Base 12?
Mathematically, there is nothing special about the decimal system. Ancient civilizations, such as the Mayans and Aztecs, counted in base 20, while the Babylonians used base 60, which we inherited for measuring time (60 minutes and 60 seconds) and degrees in a circle (360 degrees).
The Dozenal Society of America, an organization that advocates for the use of base 12, believes it would make learning in the exact sciences much easier. This is because the number 12 has more divisors (2, 3, 4, and 6) than the number 10, making division calculations simpler. For instance, dividing a cake of 12 slices is much easier: you can serve groups of 2, 3, 4, or 6 people without disputes over the last slice. A cake of 10 slices has fewer options for fair sharing.
Proponents of the duodecimal base argue that it could also eliminate the nightmare of recurring decimals, those endless fractions like 0.333… When we use base 12, a third is represented more simply as 0.4, making mathematics friendlier and more intuitive.
What Would The Impact Be In Daily Life?
Imagine you are working in a supermarket and need to count eggs in stock. Instead of using a decimal base, you decide to count in base 12, since eggs are sold by the dozen. Instead of noting that there are “5,378 eggs” in stock (in decimal), you could record “5378” in base 12, with the first number representing stacks, the second crates, the third boxes, and the last the loose eggs. In practice, the quantity would be the same, but the numbers would be read and understood differently.
Today, the use of alternative numerical systems already happens in some areas. Computers, for example, use a binary base (0 and 1), and programmers often use a hexadecimal base (with 16 symbols) to make reading binary codes easier. Although they may seem complicated, these systems show that, with the right training, any base number can be learned and used in daily life.
Is It Possible To Change The Way We Count In Mathematics?
Switching to base 12 would require large-scale re-education, but proponents of the idea assure that it would be like learning a new language. In the beginning, we would need to convert numbers from base 10 to base 12, but over time, we would think directly in duodecimal. According to the Dozenal Society, this would make mathematics and the exact sciences simpler and more intuitive.
However, the idea is not to convert the whole world immediately. The society’s goal is mainly to open minds to new ways of thinking about numbers and to show that our current decimal system is not the only possible path. After all, if we can teach children to count to 10, we also think we can teach them to count to 12.
In a world that operates on base 12, daily mathematics could be less traumatic, more practical, and much more efficient. And who knows, in the future, we may finally say that it is the end of recurring decimals and endless multiplication tables!
Pode ser que dê serto para as crianças e adolescentes que vem monstrando muitos conhecimentos em curso agregado a Internet aos computadores sendo assim os mais velhos aprenderam com filhos e netos devido a várias conquistas pra chegar onde chegou aposentado ou não mas feliz em ter como reaprender.
Eu divido o meu bolo independentemente de ser de base 10 ou 12. Divido da forma e tamanho que quiser. Não uso o matemática para isso. Uso a quantidade de pessoas.
Base 10 ou base 12. Não vi na matéria um fundamento mundial ou até mesmo prático para essa mudança.
Issa ideia é mais uma daquelas que pessoas que não tem o que fazer, ficam tentando inovar para aparecer e ter status.
Na base 12 o CONCEITO de 1/3 não é 1 dividido por 3 assim como. estão somente querendo achar chifre em cabeça de cavalo e criar na matemática a nossa terra plana. as dificuldades não está na base 10 ou nossos alunos TODOS sabem interpretar, conhecem história, sabem sobre as ciências?