# Counting on your fingers in the binary system?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 30, 2001, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079 "2001-03-30T06:26:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079/21 "2001-04-07T17:34:28Z")

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you are correct, i am corrected!

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**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079/22 "2001-04-07T21:18:00Z")

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Slight hijack…

I once had a computer science teacher in college who had lost 2 fingers in a machinist accident some years before. The first day of class, he announced that we all had to learn to count in base 8 (octal), and said that for anyone who had problems learning it, he jad the solution.

Then he held up his hands and giggled maniacally…

crazy bastard.  
MM

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**Author:** ![superdenseprotohippy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@superdenseprotohippy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superdenseprotohippy)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2001, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079/23 "2001-04-08T01:10:52Z")

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[Enjoy](http://www.dnaco.net/~ivanjs/binary.html)

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**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2001, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-on-your-fingers-in-the-binary-system/60079/24 "2001-04-08T06:06:26Z")

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I count this way occasionally, and although I don’t do it regularly, I could add or subtract using this method. Anyone care to explain how you multiply or divide?

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