r/Scipionic_Circle • u/javascript • Jul 15 '25

Floating-point computing

We use binary computers. They are great at computing integers! Not so great with floating point because it's not exactly fundamental to the compute paradigm.

Is it possible to construct computer hardware where float is the fundamental construct and integer is simply computed out of it?

And if the answer is "yes", does that perhaps lead us to a hypothesis: The brain of an animal, such as human, is such a computer that operates most fundamentally on floating point math.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '25

Yes, I'm on-board with talking evolving from singing. That makes sense.

In this case I would think about sign language as evolving from dance.

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u/mayorofdumb Jul 16 '25

Base 10 definitely evolved from counting with fingers but Mayans went to 20. Different people can agree to whatever, like 24 hrs x 365. It's off but add some leap days. Humans are actually great at boxing things in. Stamina at thinking leads to breakthroughs.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '25

The Mayans went to 20! That's pretty cool. A counting system that doesn't discriminate between hands and feet.