How the way you count reveals where you're from - BBC REEL

Humans evolved with 10 digits on our hands, and that's likely the reason we have 10 digits in our number system. Counting on your fingers feels like such a natural and obvious thing to do that you might be surprised by just how differently people do it around the world, and how effective some methods can be.

Video by Anand Jagatia

#bbcreel #bbc #bbcnews

[juliaconnell]

WOW - this was mind blowing - yet again something I just take for granted is done differently - waaaay differently - how interesting & intriguing

[sofiagirscher]

it’s like in that one scene from inglorious bastards where the nazi solider finds out the other is not german because of the way he counts to three with his fingers

[J_Lag]

Finally!!! A great description about counting system on our hands. I attempted to elaborate this to an archeology professor back then, but I didn't go far, because this is such an oddity to research and I was an undergraduate going for a biology degree so in a way it was pointless. For sure every culture has a counting system unique to them, except globalization has change that these days, but it is still there. Awesome video 😌

[chachamaru]

In Japan, we count as shown in this movie. But when we show a number to other person, we show the number just same as "USA" type.

[JM-todk]

I’m from the UK and we count like USA and Canada. Didn’t know other parts of Europe counted differently until I watched Inglourious Basterds.

[djenebasidibe]

The Chinese version makes so much sense when you take into account how the Chinese numbers are written. Like especially e.g. the eight and nine, but also the ten for instance. They seem to try to be imitating the shape on how it's written.

[kyerwhite]

As a Canadian I start with my thumb when counting

[Pedasus]

I'm Indian and my dad actually taught me the binary method, in which you can count upto 1023 with 10 fingers

[marc-andrechevrette]

I remember when I was in China, I ordered 7 pieces of food and raised a full hand + 2 fingers on the other hand. The guy in front of me didn't get it at

[andriusbalukas]

Also, counting on one's finger knuckles for divisions of 12 (great for months, hours, or feet in inches) or 16 (divisions in inches, or hexadecimal counting). 3 knuckles for each finger =12, while 4 knuckles for each finger would = 16.

[suzettehenderson]

In ASL, numbers are signed with one hand, I wonder if that effects the method of counting?

[troyclayton]

Decades ago I taught myself to count in binary on my fingers. 10 digits gives a limit of 1023.
edit: bit I prefer to keep it at 8 digits (like I count that high) so it's analogous to 8 digit binary machine code.

[alexandermcclure]

I either count to 12 on either hand (counting segments instead of creases) to get to 144, or I count to 10 on either hand using ASL. (1:☝, 2:✌, 3:✌with👍, 4:🖐without👍, 5:🖐, 6: touch thumb with pinky, 7: pinky -> ring, 8: ring -> middle, 9: middle -> index, 10: 👍)

[gergelygalvacsy]

There’s a slight variation for the European system I grew up with. Many people do a switch between 3 and 4. For 3, you’ve got your thumb, index and middle finger out of course, but when switching to 4, you open your ring finger and pinky, while closing your thumb inwards. It is more comfortable than having all your fingers except for the pinky out.

[juanmico]

I recall my (Spanish) grandma counting the way is described here as in India (lines in each finger).

[juliaconnell]

I remember being taught about different 'bases' in school - base 8 or base 12 - (here, from wiki - "The numeral system, or for short, is the base-8 number system, and uses the digits 0 to 7, that is to say 10 represents 8 in decimal and 100 represents 64 in decimal. However, English uses a base-10 number language system" - base 10 is so obvious as a counting system to us as most of us have 10 fingers/thumbs - remember being worried as a kid - all these messages we're sending out into space - or contact in movies etc - does the math translate (like we use pi or prime numbers to make first contact - but aren't these 'mathematical constants' to us based in base 10) - I'm sure people much smarter than me have dealt with this issue & taken it into account - but remember being really worried about this as a kid

[ivanstayner]

My dad is from England. And he starts with his pinky.

[klaxxor]

I'm from Canada and I start with my thumb and many others do as well.

[heins]

In the Inglorious Bastards movie, that was how the fake Nazi was revealed😄😄😄

[fuzuligulmammadli]

It's impossible for me to show 4 with my thumb open and pinky folded.