From: Philippe Verdy (verdy_p@wanadoo.fr)
Date: Thu Nov 27 2003 - 16:27:25 EST
Doug Ewell writes:
> All these terms, and probably more, have been used to describe a base-n
> positional number system:
>
> binary = 2
> ternary = 3
> quaternary = 4
> octal = 8
> decimal = 10
> duodecimal = 12
> hexadecimal = 16
Add also:
quinternary = 5, hexary = 6, septuary = 7, noval or novary = 9
for tens:
unodecimal = 11, triodecimal = 13, quadrodecimal = 14,
pentadecimal = 15, heptadecimal = 17, octodecimal = 18,
novodecimal = 19
for twenties:
bigesimal (or sometimes bidecimal) = 20 (common as an old counting
system),
unobigesimal = 21, duobigesimal = 22, triobigesimal = 23,
quadriobigesimal = 24, pentobigesimal = 25, hexobigesimal =
26,
heptobigesimal = 27, octobigesimal = 26, novobigesimal = 29
similar for other tens:
trigesimal (or sometimes triogesimal) = 30,
unotrigesimal = 31, duobigesimal = 32, ...
quadrigesimal = 40,
unoquadrigesimal = 41, duoquadrigesimal = 42, ...
sexagesimal = 60 (quite common for time related counts),
...
heptagesimal = 70,
...
octagesimal = 80, ...
novagesimal = 90, ...
for hundreds:
centesimal = 100 (quite common),
decacentesimal = 110, unodecacentesimal = 111, ...
bicentesimal = 200
tricentesimal = 300
quadricentesimal = 400
pentacentesimal = 500
hexacentesimal = 600
heptacentesimal = 700
octacentesimal = 800
novacentesimal = 900
for thousands:
millesimal = 1000 (quite common)
bimillesimal = 2000
...
decamillesimal = 10000 (used for Far East Asian numbering systems)
:-)
Some words are ambiguous like tridecimal (sometimes refer to base 30 and not
13 which is triodecimal with an additional o) or decamillesimal (10000 or
1010 ?) because of the way prefixes are understood (either additively or as
multipliers). But you'll find various mathematical litterature using such
compound terms (generally with a definition if needed, as some authors seem
to use their own conventions). :-|
I don't know (or haven't seen) words for millions (gigasimal = 10^6?) or
billions (terasimal = 10^9?), probably because these words are derived from
roman latin terms, and the roman numeric system was not representing large
numbers easily. I think that the prefixes used in international measure
systems are used with the "-sim-" radical and the "-al" suffix. (May be
you'll find these words in Arabic or some Indian languages, or in Chinese.)
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