#base 12

In this thread, where people share their thinking while doing an addition problem, @athelind posted a video of the Tom Lehrer’s “New Math.” The second verse of that song is all about Base Eight.

And that reminded me that I’ve now been (semi)converted into base 12, at least for some things. I kinda mix it up between base ten and base 12, depending on what I’m trying to figure out.

And here’s the video that converted me (sorta):

(As he explains at the end of the video, I count the segments of my fingers on my right hand, using my thumb as a ‘pointer.’ I’m not as dexterous with my left hand, so I just count one to five as “normal” with that hand, to keep track of how many units of do I’ve got to. So I can count to 60 on the fingers of two hands)

Oh, and I also learned to count in American Sign Language, back before I hit puberty (when language/math stuff comes more easily). And ASL is sorta like a hybrid between base 5 and base 10:

Let’s dive into how base 12 (duodecimal) might offer advantages over base 10 (decimal) in the contexts of physics and DNA. This is a fun thought experiment, as neither field inherently depends on a specific base—math is math, and nature doesn’t care about our counting systems. But the way we represent and manipulate numbers can affect clarity, efficiency, and intuition, so let’s see how base 12 could shine here.

Base 12 in Physics

Physics often involves measurements, constants, and relationships that don’t always play nicely with base 10’s limitations. Base 12’s greater divisibility—its factors being 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12—could streamline certain calculations and reveal patterns more intuitively.

Angular Measurements and Symmetry: Physics loves circles—orbits, waves, rotations—and base 12 fits this beautifully. A circle has 360 degrees (in base 10), which is 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 5. In base 12, 360 becomes 260 (since 2 × 144 + 6 × 12 = 288 + 72 = 360), and 144 (written as 100 in base 12) is 12 squared. This ties neatly into the base itself. More practically, 12 divides evenly into 360 thirty times (360 ÷ 12 = 30), giving you 12 equal 30-degree segments—perfect for trigonometry or analyzing symmetrical systems like crystals or planetary orbits. In base 10, you get awkward splits (360 ÷ 10 = 36), which don’t align as naturally with common physical divisions like thirds (120°) or quarters (90°).

Time and Periodic Phenomena: Timekeeping in physics often uses base 12 echoes—12 hours, 60 minutes (5 × 12), 60 seconds. Waves, oscillations, and frequencies could benefit from this. For example, a frequency of 12 cycles per unit splits cleanly into 2, 3, 4, or 6 subintervals, matching harmonic patterns. In base 10, a frequency of 10 cycles splits into 2 and 5, but thirds (3.333…) or fourths (2.5) are less tidy. Base 12 could make Fourier analysis or resonance calculations feel more intuitive, with fewer recurring decimals.

Unit Conversions and Scaling: Physics often deals with scaling—think meters to centimeters or joules to ergs. Base 12’s divisibility could simplify metric-like systems. Imagine a base-12 ruler: a unit of 12 splits into 2, 3, 4, or 6 subunits without fractions, unlike base 10’s 10 splitting into 2 and 5. This could reduce rounding errors in precise measurements, like those in quantum mechanics or cosmology, where small discrepancies compound.

Constants and Approximations: Physical constants like π (3.14159… in base 10) or e (2.71828…) are irrational and base-agnostic, but their approximations might look cleaner in base 12. For π, in base 12, it’s roughly 3.184809… (using digits 0-9 and A-B for 10-11). The pattern isn’t obviously “better,” but base 12’s fraction-friendly nature could make series expansions (like for π or gravitational constants) easier to truncate usefully, thanks to those clean divisions.

Base 12 in DNA

DNA’s structure and coding don’t demand a specific base, but base 12 could align intriguingly with its properties, especially in how we analyze and represent genetic data.

Codon Grouping: DNA codes proteins via codons—triplets of nucleotides (A, T, C, G). With four bases, there are 4³ = 64 possible codons, which encode 20 amino acids plus start/stop signals. In base 10, 64 is just 64, but in base 12, it’s 54 (5 × 12 + 4 = 64). This doesn’t change the biology, but base 12 could make codon tables more modular. Dividing 64 by 12 gives 5 groups of 12 with 4 left over—imagine organizing codons into 5 neat “dozen-ish” blocks for analysis, with a small remainder. In base 10, 64 ÷ 10 = 6.4, a less tidy split. This could simplify bioinformatics algorithms or visual representations.

Helical Structure: DNA’s double helix has a twist—about 10.4 base pairs per turn in B-DNA (in base 10). In base 12, this is roughly 8.6 (8 + 6/12), where 6/12 simplifies to 0.6 in base 12 notation. It’s not a whole number either way, but base 12’s fraction system (1/2 = 0.6, 1/3 = 0.4, 1/4 = 0.3) could make helical pitch calculations or molecular modeling more manageable, especially when scaling to larger sequences.

Sequence Patterns: Geneticists look for repeats—tandem repeats, palindromes, etc. Base 12’s divisibility could highlight periodicities better. A sequence of 12 base pairs splits evenly into 2, 3, 4, or 6 segments, matching common repeat lengths in DNA (e.g., trinucleotide repeats in diseases like Huntington’s). In base 10, a 10-pair sequence splits into 2 or 5, missing the biologically relevant 3 or 4 without fractions. This could make mutation analysis or gene mapping more intuitive.

Data Compression: DNA sequences are massive datasets. Base 12, with 12 symbols (0-9, A-B), encodes more per digit than base 10’s 10 symbols. A single base-12 digit could represent values up to 11 (B), versus 9 in base 10, potentially compressing annotations or alignments slightly. For example, assigning codons to a base-12 index could pack 64 values into fewer digits (54 in base 12 vs. 64 in base 10), a small but real edge in computational genomics.

Why Base 12 “Feels Better”

In physics, base 12’s strength lies in its symmetry and divisibility, aligning with natural cycles and reducing computational friction. In DNA, it’s about modular organization and pattern recognition, subtly enhancing how we process biological data. Base 10 works fine—physicists and geneticists have thrived with it—but base 12 could offer a more harmonious lens, especially for systems with inherent 2-, 3-, or 4-fold structures.

Back in 2012, I watched this video on base 12 math (eye contact, proper closed captions in English, under 10 minutes). At the very end, it was pointed out that you can count to 12 on your fingers, if you count each finger joint, instead of your whole fingers, while using your thumb as a pointer.

And I've been counting that way ever since. Not only does has it made calculating converting a third to a quarter in a recipe more intuitive (and counting out minutes and seconds easier if I'm timing things), it's also become a comforting hand/finger fidget.

(Personally, I start with 1 at the base of the index finger, and end with 12 at the tip of the pinky; I've also seen it illustrated the other way around).

But the other night, as I was waiting to fall asleep, I was thinking about how most ways of tallying things on paper (by drawing lines) is based on groups of 5... And I got to wondering if there were a way to tally by 12s, and how to arrange quickly drawn lines that are easy to read at a glance...