Kids learn to count on their fingers, because they’re so, well, handy! And it makes sense–most number systems originally developed as people counted using their fingers.
小孩通过数手指来学习计数，因为这样确实非常方便。由此，最初的数字系统是从人们以手指计数发展而来也就变得合乎情理了。
The counting system of native Greenlanders not only uses all ten fingers, but all ten toes as well! Here’s how it works. The Greenlandic word for the number seven translates as, “second hand, two.” That means you count five on the first hand and add two from the second, to make seven. After you run out of fingers, go for the toes. Thirteen translates as “first foot, three.” That means you add all ten fingers plus three toes.
古代格陵兰岛人的计数系统不仅要用到十个手指，甚至连十个脚趾都用上了！以下就是这种计数方式的工作原理。格陵兰语中，数字7翻译出来就是“第二只手，两 根手指。”意思是说你数完第一只手的五个手指，再加上第二只手的两根手指得到数字七。如果手指不够用，那就再用脚趾。数字13翻译出来是“第一只脚，三只 脚趾。”说明你数完了所有十个手指，再数三个脚趾就得到数字十三。
The counting system we use has a base of ten. Larger numbers are simply multiples of ten. For example, ten tens make one hundred. We’re so used to our base ten system that it may seem like the only possibility. But the Greenlandic number system has a base of twenty, and others have a base of five. Of all the number systems ever invented, five, ten, and twenty are the most common bases.
我们使用的计数系统是十进制的。较大的数字就是用10来倍乘。比如，10个10就是100.我们非常习惯使用十进制计数，以至于认为世上只有这一种计数系 统。但是格陵兰岛的计数系统是二十进制的，也有一些地方采用五进制。在所有发明的计数系统中，五进制、十进制和二十进制是最为常见的。
It’s no coincidence that these bases match the number of fingers on one hand, or two hands, or all of our fingers and toes. The connection between fingers and counting is so close that several languages have just one word that means both “hand” and the number five. Even in English, the word digit describes either a number or a finger. So if anyone teases you for counting on your fingers, just tell them you find your digits quite handy!
这些计数的基数和我们的一只手的手指数、两只手的手指数，以及所有的手指和脚趾的数目吻合并非巧合。手指和计数之间的联系如此紧密以至于很多语言里都只有 一个词用来同时表示“手”和数字“五”。甚至在英语里也有这样的情况，单词digit既可表示数字也可表示手指。因此，如果有人因为你用手指数数而取笑你 的话，你只需告诉他你觉得使用手指计算很方便就行了！ |