The Myth of the God Incarnate

Number
Copyright (c) Simon Brooke 1992-1995
Describing the numbering system in use in the great place
The standard numbering system
The system for writing numerals is a developed tally system. Negative numbers cannot be represented and are unknown, but zero is known and can be represented, specifically as an empty box.

|The numerals 1..4 are represented by a box with the appropriate number of vertical strokes.

_The numerals 5..7 are represented by a box with 1..3 horizontal strokes (the four vertical strokes are optional but now considered archaic).

/The numeral 8 is represented by a square with a diagonal stroke rising from left to right across it.

\ The numeral 64 (= 100 octal) is represented by a square with a diagonal stroke falling from left to right across it. The numeral 512 (= 1000 octal) is represented by a square with a diagonal cross across it. The numeral 4096 (= 10,000 octal) is represented by a square with a diagonal cross and a vertical stroke through the middle. T represented by a square with both a diagonal and a normal cross through it, similar to a Union Jack. The numeral 262,144 (= 1,000,000 octal) is written as a solid (filled in) square.

Positive integers which cannot be directly represented by single symbols described above are represented by horizontal strings of symbols which are interpreted as meaning the value of the first added to the product of the values of the rest. The ability to factor rapidly and accurately is thus vital to numeracy. Fractions are written horizontally as a string of symbols representing the dividend followed by a colon followed by a string of symbols representing the divisor.

Numerals are almost always written with a stylus on clay or wax.

Calculation; and the alternative numbering system
A calculating device in common use among merchants and astronomers is the flag board. This consists of a board with a wire or wires strung across it; on each wire a number of short wooden rods are hinged. The most common form of the board has a raised wooden strip ('the wall') which the wires pass through, so that there are 16 flags on each wire to the left of the wall, and 5 flags to the right. The rightmost flag is triangular, usually coloured red, and is used as a sign bit. The flags represent binary digits (up being '1'). Astronomers use much more complex flag-boards.
Copyright (c) Simon Brooke 1992-1995

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