How many fingers do Kerbals have? If not 10, then they don't count decimal.

[Brethern]

If the kerbals are using base 8 math that makes them just like the ancients.

[Whirligig Girl]

Kerbals use base 10 even though they have 8 fingers because their civilization started before their 9th and 10th finger evolved away. [/nothowevolutionworks]

[AnotherSlySwine]

I always assumed that a kerbals hand was shaped like a mitten, (but they could have 4 "finger" bones)

[pandaman]

Who says they have to use their fingers?

[RatchetinSpace]

Kerbals could use 6 fingers, 2 thumbs and 2 palms to count in base 10, using a fist to count 1 instead of 0 like we do.

[wumpus]

On 1/26/2014 at 7:06 PM, Brethern said:

If the kerbals are using base 8 math that makes them just like the ancients.

Who used base 8?

Babylonians used base 60 (can't remember if they inherited from Sumer, but a *lot* more things than you would expect directly derive from this), and there are obvious remnants of base 12, 20, and 100 left in English (dozens, scores, and hundredcounts).  Granted, "base" can be a pretty nebulous term without a zero place, but many cultures listed counts by common groupings and leftovers.

[Mike Mars]

The Sumerians used base 60.

It's easy to count to sixty using two hands.  The following Youtube video shows how.

 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Mike Mars
spelling, duh!

[MaxwellsDemon]

Yeah, not sure what 'ancients' are being referred to.   I can tell you that the Egyptians thought in terms of tens, based on the symbols they used.

[mattinoz]

So Americans have 6 fingers and that is why they don't use metric?

[Superfluous J]

30 minutes ago, mattinoz said:

So Americans have 6 fingers and that is why they don't use metric?

Shhhh don't tell anyone.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Kerbals obviously have 3 fingers on each hand, and 2 toes on each foot.

They do count by tens; they just have to take their boots off to do it!

[Spricigo]

ancient Kerbal tried to use their fingers to count, but something went wrong and that is how they ended up with the decimal system.

[Archgeek]

20 hours ago, Mike Mars said:

The Sumerians used base 60.

It's easy to count to sixty using two hands.

Pah, that's nothing.  I can do 1023 on two hands only using base 2!