I think it’s saying you can factor out the zero because it’s zero and we’re looking for “base sets” which for us 1’s? Factoring every number system down to whatever their base set is equivalent to that original 1’s relationship with zero?
It seems a little more esoteric than the practical reality that an alien might just count on it’s digits which could be any base number, and we should understand that, particularly if it gets so bad on Earth we have to leave soon.
Wouldn’t that be base 1?
it would be ‘what’s a base?’
I think it’s saying you can factor out the zero because it’s zero and we’re looking for “base sets” which for us 1’s? Factoring every number system down to whatever their base set is equivalent to that original 1’s relationship with zero?
It seems a little more esoteric than the practical reality that an alien might just count on it’s digits which could be any base number, and we should understand that, particularly if it gets so bad on Earth we have to leave soon.
I haven’t taken math in a very long time.