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Polynesians May Have Invented Binary Math

Posted by samzenpus on from the original-number dept.

sciencehabit writes "How old is the binary number system? Perhaps far older than the invention of binary math in the West. The residents of a tiny Polynesian island may have been doing calculations in binary—a number system with only two digits—centuries before it was described by Gottfried Leibniz, the co-inventor of calculus, in 1703."

2 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. What's with this "may"? by newcastlejon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Either they did or they didn't.

    --
    If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
  2. Binary - A Number System With Only Two Digits by TranquilVoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, decades of stories containing obscure acronyms deemed unworthy of explanation, now the editors decide binary needs to be defined for the Slashdot audience.