Why Dozens?

Numbers are everywhere. They surround us all the time and inform everything we do. The way we buy and sell; the way we tell time; the way we describe ourselves and the things around us; all of these things are innately dependent upon numbers and the way we talk about them.

We talk about them, usually, in tens. But is this the only way; and if not, is this the best way? This page explores the other options for counting, and why the dozen is the best way to talk about the numbers which so thoroughly inform our lives.

• The Basics
• Number Systems: What is the deal with numbers? Explains simply how numbers work, how we've written them down in the past, and how we write them down now. Explains place notation for the layman.
• Place Notation: Gives a brief explanation of place notation, aimed at the non-mathematician.
• The Best Base: What is the best base? Addresses the question from the point of view of the layman; that is, a non-mathematician.
• New Digits: Discusses various proposals for new digits, both computerized and handwritten.
• A Primer on Dozenalism: A brief, more or less layman's overview of numbers, counting systems, bases, why dozenal is the best, and how its advantages can be easily leveraged.
• Advanced Arguments for Dozenalism
• Accuracy of Rounded Fractions: Explores some common roundings of difficult fractions in dozenal and decimal and shows that easy roundings of dozenal fractions are the more accurate.