Quilotoa@lemmy.ca to Today I Learned@lemmy.worldEnglish · 17 days agoTIL the pound was named because 240 Sterlings (pennies) weighed a pound.en.wikipedia.orgexternal-linkmessage-square33linkfedilinkarrow-up1304arrow-down14file-text
arrow-up1300arrow-down1external-linkTIL the pound was named because 240 Sterlings (pennies) weighed a pound.en.wikipedia.orgQuilotoa@lemmy.ca to Today I Learned@lemmy.worldEnglish · 17 days agomessage-square33linkfedilinkfile-text
minus-squareada@piefed.blahaj.zonelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up34·17 days agoIf the only significance of 240 sterlings is that it weighs a pound, then it seems likely the pound would have been a pound, whatever number of sterlings it happened to be…
minus-squareADTJ@feddit.uklinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up7·17 days agoLike calling the numbering system base 10. It would be base 10 regardless of the number of units
minus-squaretigeruppercut@lemmy.ziplinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up3·17 days agoBut what if I like counting by making hash marks on a stick? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unary_numeral_system
minus-square__Lost__@lemmy.dbzer0.comlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up2·17 days agoThen 10 is when you need a second stick
If the only significance of 240 sterlings is that it weighs a pound, then it seems likely the pound would have been a pound, whatever number of sterlings it happened to be…
Like calling the numbering system base 10.
It would be base 10 regardless of the number of units
But what if I like counting by making hash marks on a stick?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unary_numeral_system
Then 10 is when you need a second stick