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Mathematics Question

GDawson

GDawson

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Let me preface this with my math skills suck or I prolly could figure this out. Algebra 6 times in high school (summer school and tutors) and never passed. It NEVER made sense to me.

Question: Do prime number in the base 10 number system remain prime numbers when translated as into other base number systems (binary, hex, etc…)? When watching a hypothetical alien contact documentary they were talking about using prime numbers to try and communicate…that they were universal. Is that true?

-Gregory
 
Prime numbers are universal. The base used for counting representation doesn't matter.

Base is just an agreement to limit the size of counting piles. ie. you could do all counting without base by making a mark each number.

baseless - IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
base 2 - 101001
base 10 - 25
base 16 - 19

are all exactly the same.

writing it as "2 tens and 5" as in base 10 is much easier than making 25 marks. Money is also a good example. The value you hold is the same regardless of what denominations you hold. $10 in value is the same whether it's one $10 bill, 2 $5 bills or 1000 pennies.
 
basically what Mike said, doesn't matter what number system you're counting in the answer ends up being the same.

so 2+ 12 = 14 regardless of number system you're in, just instead of 2 it might be 10, or 12 is 1100 so add those two together 1110 which conveniently is 14 in binary :D
 
Just to clarify: a prime number is any number that can only be divisible by 1 and itself to produce a non decimal answer. Yes? (this is from old memory) So in other base number systems this does not change? So the number 5 when translated into base 3 is still only divisible by itself and 1 to produce a non decimal number? (whole number? High school was a long time ago)

-Gregory
 
Gomer said:
Never read the book. Worth if I've seen the movie?
Click to expand...
I don't know if it'd be absolutely worth it, a few little bits about math and the universe was really the only reason I read it... and by read it I mean got the book on tape and listened to it while doing other stuff :D
 
GDawson said:
Just to clarify: a prime number is any number that can only be divisible by 1 and itself to produce a non decimal answer. Yes? (this is from old memory) So in other base number systems this does not change? So the number 5 when translated into base 3 is still only divisible by itself and 1 to produce a non decimal number? (whole number? High school was a long time ago)

-Gregory
Click to expand...

Yeah base three goes 0 1 2 10 11 12 20 21 22 100 etc so 5 is 12 in base 3 , now while it seems like you can divide 12 by 2, you can't... because that's the equivalent of dividing 5 by 2 just doesn't work, you can divide 12 by 2 in base 10, but not in base 3 because 12 doesn't mean the same in base 3 as it does in base 10.

Ok this is more than enough math for me over the summer
 
sfsuphysics said:
Gomer said:
Never read the book. Worth if I've seen the movie?
Click to expand...
I don't know if it'd be absolutely worth it, a few little bits about math and the universe was really the only reason I read it... and by read it I mean got the book on tape and listened to it while doing other stuff :D
Click to expand...

Yah audio books are good that way.. except when you loose your place on a fricken iPod and have to scroll through 20 minutes to get back to your spot :( That occupied a little part of my drive to LA :lol:
 
Oh oh even better so when they age, they speed up and slow down (if you left it in the sun) :D
 
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