• empireOfLove@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    If 4 did not exist, then you would be using a base-4 quarternary numbering system (which is able to use the numbers 0,1,2,3)

    The system will be similar to how our base 10 numbers work, but instead of counting to 9 before adding a trailing zero and becoming 10, you would count to 3. So 2 plus 2 would roll past 3, and equal 10.

  • FelipeFelop@discuss.online
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    You’ve inadvertently hit on the beginnings of an apparent paradox to do with the relationship between numbers and the counting numbers

    Suppose the largest number you can have is X and the smallest number you can have is -Y. Then between -Y and X, you can count X+Y numbers which is clearly larger than X. But X is the largest possible number so X+Y doesn’t exist.

    • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      suppose the largest number

      Gotta stop you right there. A largest number doesn’t and can’t exist. If we introduce one, paradoxes arise all over the place and the whole system falls apart.