this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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If humans were born with 6 fingers on each hand we would be using base 12 instead of the decimal system. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fun fact: Ancient Egyptians used a base 12 for time (and in some other places) because we have have 12 segments on our index through pinky fingers. They used their thumbs as a placeholder or to count. That base 12 system then turned into the 24 hour clock system we use today.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There's also evidence of an early base-12 system in use for some Indo-Europeans -- it's likely why the English morphology doesn't become compositional until 13:

Ten (not compositional)

Eleven (not compositional)

Twelve (not compositional)

Thirteen (related to three-ten)

Fourteen (relates to four-ten)

Etc.