Re: [tied] How many miles to Babylon? [Was: Numerals query again]

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 26923
Date: 2003-11-06

06-11-03 22:31, Richard Wordingham wrote:

> And Larry Trask's question explains the silence. Most of Alex's
> questions can be answered, but it is difficult to explain the use of
> vigesimal systems.

Not so much its use as its origin and spread in Europe. '20' is a
natural kind of base, like '10' and '5'. Systems with vigesimal features
are found e.g. in Central America. I doubt, however, if there are any
_strictly_ vigesimal systems anywhere -- in all the cases known to me we
have basically quinary or decimal systems with '20' as an auxiliary base.

Piotr