Phone numbers

[mariek]

<br />If you were going to tell someone your phone number, how would you do it?<br /><br />Let's say your phone number is: 256-512-1024.<br /><br />Would you write the number as CCLVI-CCCCXII-MXXIV (or CCLVI-CCCCXII-MXXIIII)?<br /><br />There's a purpose to this queston. It leads up to another question I have which is coming down the pike. <br /><br />

[Lex]

Errrrr..... Hsitory has never been my best subject, but wasn't Alexander Graham Bell after the fall of the Roman Empire?

[Lex]

[quote author=mariek link=board=3;threadid=751;start=0#7412 date=1064951131]<br />Let's say your phone number is: 256-512-1024.<br /><br />Would you write the number as CCLVI-CCCCXII-MXXIV (or CCLVI-CCCCXII-MXXIIII)?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I would write it as II-V-VI V-I-II I-0-II-IV, although I admit the 0 is an anachronism; I don't believe the Romans had zeros.

[benissimus]

I'm siding with Lector. It's more conservative with characters, less deciphering, and takes into account that not all countries follow the 1-(234)-567-8900 system.

[Keesa]

Now I'm curious-what other question?

[mariek]

<br />The other question in still brewing. I haven't yet had time to form it (the phrase in Latin).<br />

[phil]

As has been pointed out, not all countries follow this format for phone numbers, <<256-512-1024 >>; the placement of the dashes is quite abitrary, so what is the Roman way of writing 2,565,121,024? I've searched the 'net and come up empty handed.<br /><br />BTW mariek, this is a suspiciously binary looking number - is that a clue to your next question?

[mariek]

[quote author=Phil link=board=3;threadid=751;start=0#7437 date=1064964474]<br />... so what is the Roman way of writing 2,565,121,024? I've searched the 'net and come up empty handed.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Let me know when you figure it out. <br /><br />

<br />BTW mariek, this is a suspiciously binary looking number - is that a clue to your next question?<br />

<br /><br />Curious, isn't it? ;D<br /><br />Wow, someone actually noticed that they're powers of 2. Some of my favorite numbers are powers of 2, and others are just plain prime.<br /><br />

[phil]

[quote author=mariek link=board=3;threadid=751;start=0#7441 date=1064973331]<br /><br />Let me know when you figure it out. <br /><br /><br />[/quote]<br /><br />OK, I have discovered that if roman numerals have an 'upper half frame' above them it means multiply the number by 100,000. And that the symbol for 10,000 is an M with 5 legs instead of 3, which can be typed as '((I))'. (However, the ((I)) is archaic, and I'm not sure if you can use both symbols at the same time).<br /><br />(I can't work out how to put an overbar on, so I'll use an underline - turn your monitor upside down to see it properly )<br /><br />So,<br /><br /> | ((I))((I))MMMMMDCLI | ((I))((I))MXXIIII<br /><br /> is (2x10,000+5x1000+500+100+50+1)x100,000 + (2x10,000+1,000+20+4) = 25,651x100,000 + 21,024 = 2,565,121,024!<br />

[mingshey]

Common alphabet mapping with some modification for zero and one would do.<br /><br />with<br />0= O,<br />1= I,<br />2=ABC,<br />3=DEF,<br />4=GH,<br />5=JKL,<br />6=MN,<br />7=PRS,<br />8=TUV and<br />9=WXY,<br /><br />256-512-1024 will be ALM-LIB-IOCH<br />

[mariek]

[quote author=Phil link=board=3;threadid=751;start=0#7445 date=1064976188]<br />So,<br /><br /> | ((I))((I))MMMMMDCLI | ((I))((I))MXXIIII<br /><br /> is (2x10,000+5x1000+500+100+50+1)x100,000 + (2x10,000+1,000+20+4) = 25,651x100,000 + 21,024 = 2,565,121,024!<br /><br />[/quote]<br /><br />Ouch. I have a headache now. And this is why I decided not to major in math! <br /><br />

[Keesa]

Me, too! I liked the alphabet way better. ;D

[mariek]

[quote author=mingshey link=board=3;threadid=751;start=0#7447 date=1064976800]<br />Common alphabet mapping with some modification for zero and one would do.<br />...<br />256-512-1024 will be ALM-LIB-IOCH<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Well, mapping the numbers to the letters on the telephone wasn't quite what I had in mind though.<br /><br />