I built the Rhettilator, a web calculator that performs arithmetic in base 360 using exact rational fractions—no floating-point rounding errors, ever.Base 360 (2⁵ × 3² × 5 × 7) is divisible by all integers from 1 to 12, so common fractions like 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, 1/8, 1/9, 1/10, 1/11, and 1/12 all terminate cleanly with no repeating digits.This contrasts sharply with base 10 (where 1/3 repeats) and binary floating-point (where even 0.1 is approximate). It’s a playful yet serious exploration of how a more highly composite base could make certain computations inherently more precise.Try dividing 1 by 7 or 1 by 11 — the results are exact and finite.Link: https://the-rhettilator-9352543e.base44.app/Feedback<...
I built the Rhettilator, a web calculator that performs arithmetic in base 360 using exact rational fractions—no floating-point rounding errors, ever.Base 360 (2⁵ × 3² × 5 × 7) is divisible by all integers from 1 to 12, so common fractions like 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, 1/8, 1/9, 1/10, 1/11, and 1/12 all terminate cleanly with no repeating digits.This contrasts sharply with base 10 (where 1/3 repeats) and binary floating-point (where even 0.1 is approximate). It’s a playful yet serious exploration of how a more highly composite base could make certain computations inherently more precise.Try dividing 1 by 7 or 1 by 11 — the results are exact and finite.Link: https://the-rhettilator-9352543e.base44.app/Feedback welcome! Curious what the HN crowd thinks about alternative bases for computation.(This body is engaging, explains the "why" quickly, invites interaction, and avoids hype—perfect for HN's technical audience.)
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46382380
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