J
Jonathan Kirwan
Guest
On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 08:42:45 -0800, Mike Harding
<mike_harding@nixspam.fastmail.fm> wrote:
Maybe that kept a kind of background semi-unconscious focus on money in the
Brit's mind that allowed them to "take over the known world" at some point.
Now that I think on it, having a pound divided into 240 equal parts does mean
that the pound can be exactly divided into: halves, thirds, quarters, fifths,
sixths, eighths, tenths, twelfths, fifteenths, sixteenths, twentieths,
twenty-fourths, thirtieths, fortieths, forty-eightieths, sixtieths, eightieths,
and one-hundred-and-twentieths. By comparison, a prime-divisor-poor decimal
system allows only halves, quarters, fifths, tenths, twentieths, twenty-fifths,
and fiftieths.
Also, I'm gathering that a farthing was defunct since 1950. So usually there
was a halfpenny, one penny, threepence, sixpence, one shilling, two shillings.
two shillings and sixpence ('two and six' and sometimes called a half crown), 5
shillings (called a crown, but defunct since WW1?) ten shillings, and one pound.
And in the US, we don't even have Canada's pretty and different colored bills.
Although we did have the "bit" which was 12.5 cents (a quarter is called "two
bits') and the half-penny, and there was the eagle (I've got a double-eagle
"$20" gold coin, for example, from the latter half of the 1800's.)
Hmm. Maybe a system with pairs of all these primes, 2, 3, 5, and just one 7.
Base 6300 with 50 British pounds Sterling as equal to 6300 of these units. We
could have lots of fun with coins!
Jon
<mike_harding@nixspam.fastmail.fm> wrote:
Well, I suppose this system would make money interesting to heft in one's mind.I grew up in the UK with (most) of the above currency
but have lived in Australia (and a few other places)
for many years now. As complex and heavy as that
old coinage was it had a character I have never
come across with any other coinage. Occasionally
I open my old tin with pennies, thruppenny bits et al
and see an individuality with which a 20c piece can
never compare
Maybe that kept a kind of background semi-unconscious focus on money in the
Brit's mind that allowed them to "take over the known world" at some point.
Now that I think on it, having a pound divided into 240 equal parts does mean
that the pound can be exactly divided into: halves, thirds, quarters, fifths,
sixths, eighths, tenths, twelfths, fifteenths, sixteenths, twentieths,
twenty-fourths, thirtieths, fortieths, forty-eightieths, sixtieths, eightieths,
and one-hundred-and-twentieths. By comparison, a prime-divisor-poor decimal
system allows only halves, quarters, fifths, tenths, twentieths, twenty-fifths,
and fiftieths.
Also, I'm gathering that a farthing was defunct since 1950. So usually there
was a halfpenny, one penny, threepence, sixpence, one shilling, two shillings.
two shillings and sixpence ('two and six' and sometimes called a half crown), 5
shillings (called a crown, but defunct since WW1?) ten shillings, and one pound.
And in the US, we don't even have Canada's pretty and different colored bills.
Although we did have the "bit" which was 12.5 cents (a quarter is called "two
bits') and the half-penny, and there was the eagle (I've got a double-eagle
"$20" gold coin, for example, from the latter half of the 1800's.)
Hmm. Maybe a system with pairs of all these primes, 2, 3, 5, and just one 7.
Base 6300 with 50 British pounds Sterling as equal to 6300 of these units. We
could have lots of fun with coins!
Jon