Number Systems and Coding

Abstract

Numeracy is a relative latecomer in man’s intellectual development. The Greek and Roman civilisations had no need for anything other than a primitive numbering system and it was not until the twelfth century that the Arabic concepts of zero and positional notation were accepted. It is generally accepted that the decimal system became universally popular because man has ten readily available digits, but any other relatively small number would have served as well, if not better; twelve, for example, has more factors and would probably have been more useful.