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JB/135/338/001

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1828 October 12th. 1831 March 9 M
Posology

33
Conjectr History
Incommensurability
Cause of

P43

Decimal mode
derived from the No of
fingers

The substitution of this less convenient mode of notation
in Arithmetic was as natural not to say inevitable as
it is unfortunate: five is the number in the human
species five is the number of the fingers on each
hand the short and thickest finger distinguished by
the name of Thumb included; two the number of the
hands here then is ten the number continually
presenting itself to all human eyes here then was is
the elementary number: by the requisite number of
requisitions made of this number all greater numbers
are capable of being expressed.

Six-fingered people
have been known —
they would have adopted
the duodecimal mode.

Instances have sometimes been observed of human
beings provided with six fingers on each hand
instead of five: and had the lot function of giving names to
numbers fallen to the lot of any one of these so
extraordinarily gifted beings the result instead
of the decimal would have been the so much
more desirable duo decimal mode.

Extraordinary that designation
by single figures
should have stopped
at 9 — 10 being the
number of fingers.

A circumstance that presents itself as rather
extraordinary is that considering ten was the
number of the Archytype constantly in view
the practice of designating a number by a
single figure should have stopped where it was
No 9 instead of extending itself to No 10: a
number for which the same number figure that had
before been employed for designation of No 1
is again employed as a designation to the
other number by the help of the anomalous
figure 0 added to it

Thus stands the problem the solution does
not present itself as obvious.

Go on to speak of the Roman or Grecian notation




Identifier: | JB/135/338/001
"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 135.

Date_1

1828-10-12

Marginal Summary Numbering

not numbered

Box

135

Main Headings

posology

Folio number

338

Info in main headings field

posology

Image

001

Titles

Category

copy/fair copy sheet

Number of Pages

1

Recto/Verso

recto

Page Numbering

f33

Penner

Watermarks

Marginals

richard doane

Paper Producer

Corrections

Paper Produced in Year

Notes public

ID Number

46456

Box Contents

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