Donald-
good going finding the decimal counter - i, too, had thought the
series was finished. it would have left an empty spot if you hadn't
found it. since humans usually use base-10, there's something special
about the decimal counter, where we always know what the base-10
number "means" without using a base conversion calculator, like the
low-brow fascination with an odometer that turns over at 99,999 :)
also, with the variety of bases available and the number of digits,
it is now possible to build a readable 24-hour clock using your
counters with digits for 10*6 sec, * 10*6 min, * 6*4 hr. a 24-hour
period would be too many moves for an LPB, but several "hours" should
be recordable with such a clock using your counters. alternatively, a
full 18-hour period can now be recorded for a clock using the
tunnel/sliding-mirror/gray counters using similar digits.
--------
Alexis-
very interesting that you have used a tri-pulser to run your new
binary counter. i tried hard to find a good use for cyclic pulses
above 2 (as in the demonstration/exhibition level "multi-pulsing"),
but i am still looking for a good device that needs 3 or 4 or more
pulses to run. so far, cyclic pulsers from one to 13 are available
for use. i made a couple levels called "punch-card reader"
and "eniac" that were supposed to simulate a computer reading a line
of code to accomplish a task, but the levels are, as yet,
unsatisfying as they are too simple - maybe next month.
--------
Yono-
certainly the nomenclature is nonstandard for all the possible bases,
eg. there's no real standard even for something as simple
as "billion" or "trillion", so i'm ready to give up trying to name
things, except in a dr. seuss sort of way when it's obvious what i
mean and suits my mood, especially after finding out that trinary is
more commonly called ternary. anytime i try to hunt down a term for a
particular base or number, i find a variety of systems - however,
numbers don't lie, so i'm going to try to diverge from using english
to describe numbers.
also, yes, the trinary, quinary, etc counters are gray-ish, i.e. have
gray characteristics, but, as you mentioned, have the pesky dual-
pulse left/right qualification that affects reading a digit - i
wonder if this series has been described or named? so far it has not
been possible to get away from the dual-pulsing requirement for
cyclic counters - i also wonder whether odd-pulsers might drive even
bases??? as it is, 4-position mirrors with dual-input can only count
to 3 (or 2*3, depending on your point of view).
--------
by the way, i still think that the sexagesimal system has the best
name:)
-steve
good going finding the decimal counter - i, too, had thought the
series was finished. it would have left an empty spot if you hadn't
found it. since humans usually use base-10, there's something special
about the decimal counter, where we always know what the base-10
number "means" without using a base conversion calculator, like the
low-brow fascination with an odometer that turns over at 99,999 :)
also, with the variety of bases available and the number of digits,
it is now possible to build a readable 24-hour clock using your
counters with digits for 10*6 sec, * 10*6 min, * 6*4 hr. a 24-hour
period would be too many moves for an LPB, but several "hours" should
be recordable with such a clock using your counters. alternatively, a
full 18-hour period can now be recorded for a clock using the
tunnel/sliding-mirror/gray counters using similar digits.
--------
Alexis-
very interesting that you have used a tri-pulser to run your new
binary counter. i tried hard to find a good use for cyclic pulses
above 2 (as in the demonstration/exhibition level "multi-pulsing"),
but i am still looking for a good device that needs 3 or 4 or more
pulses to run. so far, cyclic pulsers from one to 13 are available
for use. i made a couple levels called "punch-card reader"
and "eniac" that were supposed to simulate a computer reading a line
of code to accomplish a task, but the levels are, as yet,
unsatisfying as they are too simple - maybe next month.
--------
Yono-
certainly the nomenclature is nonstandard for all the possible bases,
eg. there's no real standard even for something as simple
as "billion" or "trillion", so i'm ready to give up trying to name
things, except in a dr. seuss sort of way when it's obvious what i
mean and suits my mood, especially after finding out that trinary is
more commonly called ternary. anytime i try to hunt down a term for a
particular base or number, i find a variety of systems - however,
numbers don't lie, so i'm going to try to diverge from using english
to describe numbers.
also, yes, the trinary, quinary, etc counters are gray-ish, i.e. have
gray characteristics, but, as you mentioned, have the pesky dual-
pulse left/right qualification that affects reading a digit - i
wonder if this series has been described or named? so far it has not
been possible to get away from the dual-pulsing requirement for
cyclic counters - i also wonder whether odd-pulsers might drive even
bases??? as it is, 4-position mirrors with dual-input can only count
to 3 (or 2*3, depending on your point of view).
--------
by the way, i still think that the sexagesimal system has the best
name:)
-steve