• There is NO official Otland's Discord server and NO official Otland's server list. The Otland's Staff does not manage any Discord server or server list. Moderators or administrator of any Discord server or server lists have NO connection to the Otland's Staff. Do not get scammed!

What would have been our number system if humans had more than 10 fingers?

Zysen

Zysen

=)
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
2,270
Reaction score
170
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Try to solve this puzzle:

The first expedition to Mars found only the ruins of a civilization. From the artifacts and pictures, the explorers deduced that the creatures who produced this civilization were four-legged beings with a tentatcle that branched out at the end with a number of grasping "fingers". After much study, the explorers were able to translate Martian mathematics. They found the following equation:


[FONT=MathJax_Main]5[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]2[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]−[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]50[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]+[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]125[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]=[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]0

[/FONT]​
with the indicated solutions [FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]=[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]5[/FONT] and [FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]=[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]8[/FONT]. The value [FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]=[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]5[/FONT] seemed legitimate enough, but [FONT=MathJax_Math]x[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]=[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]8[/FONT] required some explanation. Then the explorers reflected on the way in which Earth's number system developed, and found evidence that the Martian system had a similar history. How many fingers would you say the Martians had?

[FONT=MathJax_Main]([/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]a[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main])[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]10[/FONT]
[FONT=MathJax_Main]([/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]b[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main])[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]13[/FONT]
[FONT=MathJax_Main]([/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]c[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main])[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]40[/FONT]
[FONT=MathJax_Main]([/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Math]d[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main])[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main]25

[/FONT]
​
P.S. This is not a home work. It's a question asked in an interview.
 
Martians would have 13 fingers. However, the amount of toes is still up to debate among the scientific community.
 
The equation they found on the martian surface is something we interpret in base 10 (5x^2 - 50x + 125 = 0). In this system, x = 5 is the only solution of the two provided. In the case of base 13 the equation becomes (5x^2 - 65x + 200 = 0) which satisfies both x = 5 and x = 8.
 
I believe 8 fingers would have sufficed (3 fingers and a thumb on each hand), but I love my 10 fingers. :D
 
Sorry bro, just had to :/

[video=youtube;gutCFMc5khY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gutCFMc5khY[/video]
 
Back
Top