cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/53581443
YSK You can count past 1,000 on your fingers by using binary, instead of just 10
With just one hand, you can count to 31, and with both hands you can reach a whopping 1,023. This is because the placement of the held up fingers matters, rather than the amount.
It can be very useful in everyday use, being able to count to huge numbers when you don’t have your phone or pen and paper nearby.
Sure, but good luck putting up 15 with that system. Just try it: raise all your fingers except for your pinkie!
I don’t understand. Can you not do this? Please don’t tell me this is my superpower…
It’s your super power! My pinkie finger and ring finger are linked. I can’t close my pinkie all the way while keeping the ring finger straight.
It’s not like it needs to be perfect in form.
Your middle finger and ring finger are also linked. Keeping only the ring finger straight is more difficult than curling only your pinkie.
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Easy, I pin my pinky against my leg.
The biggest hassle with it is just remembering or constantly recalculating which combination of fingers is which number
Ahh if I do that it’s a really uncomfortable stretch feeling on the back of my hand!
I don’t have any issues with counting in binary though. If my fingers could cooperate I could do it. Adding in binary is easy enough too.
See, I don’t trust myself to keep track of which digit is 8 vs 16 vs 32, so I end up recalculating to double check my work even though I usually have it right the first time.
I’m sure if I practiced it more I’d have it down cold, but it’s just how my OCD brain works
Yeah, and ultimately it’s rather silly to practice because it’s not that practical anyway, especially when everyone has a calculator on their phone.
Exactly, you get it