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We’re so used to our base ten system that it may seem like the only possibility.
我们已经习惯用十进制计数，认为世上似乎只有这一种计数系统。
But the Greenlandic number system has a base of twenty, and others have a base of five.
而格陵兰岛的计数系统为二十进制，其他有的地方采用五进制。
Of all the number systems ever invented, five, ten, and twenty are the most common bases.
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.
其实，这些计数进制符合一只手、两只手的手指数量，以及手指加上脚趾的数量并非巧合。
The connection between fingers and counting is so close that several languages have just one word that means both “hand” and the number five.
手指和计数的联系如此紧密，很多语言里用一个词汇同时表示“手”和数字“五”。
Even in English, the word digit describes either a number or a finger.
英语中也有类似的情况，digit一词既可表示数字也可表示手指。
So if anyone teases you for counting on your fingers, just tell them you find your digits quite handy!
如果还有人取笑你用手指算数的话，告诉他使用手指计算很方便即可！
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载!
