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#84093 10/21/02 05:49 PM
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In checking out a site tsuwm provided a while back, I came across this passage:

"The sequence continues with quaternary, quinary, senary, septenary, octonary, nonary, denary. Words also exist for `twelfth order' (duodenary) and `twentieth order' (vigenary)."

When would you use words, such as nonary, and if duodenary is twelfth order, what would eleventh order be?

But, more to the point, in what kinds of applications would you use these higher orders? I'm familiar with using primary and secondary sources....but I doubt anyone would refer to duodenary sources!


#84094 10/21/02 06:19 PM
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well, until the euro, isn't there the use of the duodenary division of the shilling?!

generally though, the answer to your question is that the term is probably only going to exist (other than in nonce form) if it's useful. duodenary might also come into <ahem> play in 12-tone music.


#84095 10/21/02 06:34 PM
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MathWorld - Eric Weisstein
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/BaseNumber.html

Base Name
2 binary
3 ternary
4 quaternary
5 quinary
6 senary
7 septenary
8 octal
9 nonary
10 decimal
11 undenary
12 duodecimal
16 hexadecimal
20 vigesimal
60 sexagesimal




#84096 10/21/02 06:36 PM
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Dr Bill to the rescue!


#84097 10/21/02 06:56 PM
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undenary gets excisely 15 google hits, none of them actually using it. this makes it an underous candidate for wwftd. but the 12th and 20th orders are so important as to deserve TWO words per each.


#84098 10/21/02 07:07 PM
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excisely?


#84099 10/21/02 07:14 PM
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I think he means prezactly.


#84100 10/21/02 07:42 PM
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I did not want to tax with having committed a verbal misdemenor.


#84101 10/21/02 07:59 PM
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>I think he means prezactly.

but additionally, those fifteen google hits are not worth the paper they're written on; i.e., they could all be excised. I try not to be entiredly frivolous with these..


#84102 10/21/02 08:05 PM
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Sex is a misdemeanor. The more you miss de meaner you get.



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