# Why decimalized currency?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-decimalized-currency/494705>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 29, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-decimalized-currency/494705 "2009-04-29T05:21:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-decimalized-currency/494705/61 "2009-04-30T20:02:17Z")

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> [@Mk\_VII](#):
>
> In India they used to learn the 16 times table because there were sixteen annas to the rupee (don’t know if they still do). In my father’s office in the 1970s they had an Indian engineer and neighbouring colleagues would often ask him “what’s fourteen sixteens?” or some such, in the days before desk calculators became common.

India decimalised its currency in 1957, with 100 Naya Paise to the Rupee. Before that, it was 12 Pies to the Anna and 16 Annas to the Rupee. (I visited India for about one day in 1955, and remember being fascinated by the wonderfully different shaped coins.)

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-decimalized-currency/494705/62 "2009-04-30T20:54:08Z")

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> [@acsenray](#):
>
> So you agree with the second sentence of my post, then? 🆒

:o I missed that bit. 😃

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