# Alternative number bases (pi, e, i, etc.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562 "2019-09-01T17:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562/1 "2019-09-01T17:38:41Z")
For the math nerds, here’s a fun article about various oddball number bases. Is there any use for things like base pi, base e, base i etc.? [https://dwheeler.com/essays/bases.html](https://dwheeler.com/essays/bases.html) ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562/2 "2019-09-03T17:40:00Z")
Base pi is useful if you’re looking at something rotational. Although, arguably, base tau (2pi) is more useful, since 10 would be a full rotation instead of (in base pi) 20 being a full rotation. Base e is useful for calculating continuous growth and decay (exponential). It’s the natural base. If you want to know how biological systems that continuously grow or decay exponentially (bacterial population, radioactive isotopes, some financial things, etc.) then e is the base you work in. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562/3 "2019-09-03T18:14:07Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Base pi is useful if you’re looking at something rotational. Although, arguably, base tau (2pi) is more useful, since 10 would be a full rotation instead of (in base pi) 20 being a full rotation. Revolutions (per min or second) are typically used, and, of course, radians. “Base pi” sounds like you naturally consider _powers_ of pi for some purpose. > [@](#): > > Base e is useful for calculating continuous growth and decay (exponential). It’s the natural base. If you want to know how biological systems that continuously grow or decay exponentially (bacterial population, radioactive isotopes, some financial things, etc.) then e is the base you work in. Can’t say people don’t consider half-lives, doubling time, bits. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562/4 "2019-09-03T22:37:05Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > […] > > Can’t say people don’t consider half-lives, doubling time, bits. They do, but the beauty of e is that many equations naturally hang on ratios in nepers (powers of e). For example, an object’s heat capacity divided by its area and the heat transfer coefficient gives you the time for a temperature disturbance to dissipate by one neper, and not by a factor of two. That’s why they’re called “natural logs”. Don’t ask me why I’m so fond of nepers. I just… am. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-number-bases-pi-e-i-etc/839562/5 "2019-09-04T11:08:09Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > … > “Base pi” sounds like you naturally consider _powers_ of pi for some purpose. > > … That’s what the article is talking about and that’s how i took it, but my degree is in compsci where the concept of number bases in that sense is central. Does “base” have other meanings in other fields? It strikes me that irrational bases are mathematical novelties that would make everything more difficult. In base pi any decimal whole number over 3 becomes irrational (I think…), but it’s possible that there are specialized uses. Base i seems almost incomprehensible. The thirc position becomes i squared which is -1 and it just gets worse from there.