On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 2:49 PM, Taral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 6/8/08, Nick Vanderweit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> My idea is an official currency, the Napier, abbreviated Np, which is >> the base-10 log of its worth. > > Isn't this just a representational hack?
Yes, this is simply an ordinary currency with an unusual notation that can be difficult to determine. Ordinary notation: Percentage transfer (uncommon): multiplication. Absolute transfer (common): addition. This: Percentage transfer: addition. Absolute transfer: 10^x, addition, and log base 10, rounded to enough significant digits that it's unambiguous. I think people would rather just transfer log(37) Np back and forth than take the log of that to get 1.56820172 (and check that 10^1.56820172 does round to 37) only to have someone else find 10^1.56820172 again, as using 1.56820172 by itself could result in rounding error. And once people advance as far as log(37) rather than 1.56820172, they'd like to go ahead and make it 37 Np. --Ivan Hope CXXVII
