Trinary Code

[MetaL MilitiA]

I know this is my first post at these forums, but it is because these are the only forums that I think people will understand what I'm saying.

So, for a while now, I've been thinking about how simplistic Binary Code is and how it wastes space/speed due to it's repetitaveness. I thought of Trinary Code as it is the next possible code type. I thought it would use 0s 1s and 2s, because those are the 3 basic numbers in my opinions, as they are all perfect numbers and also consecutive. The only problem I thought of is how the CPU gives out positive (on) and negative (off) traces of electricity to signify a 1 or a 0. I then thought of using positive and negative at the same time, then figured out that would just ruin the whole point of trinary code because it would double the amount of information sent through the databus at one time. I then talked to a few people about it, and LoRd[nK] did a google search on it for me, and came up with this website, which says it would work, but is not currently possible with our technology. Later on, I did google search myself and found this website, giving more hope because I had never directly though of Neutral energy, only indirectly when I thought of positive and negative which in reality is Neutral, and wouldn't take double the space to send out through the data busses like I thought.

There are more possibilties of code, such as Quadratic all the way up to Decimal, when Decimal would use every digit making it possible to use every single number. But I think that there should be more than 10 specific digits, and actually 12, due to 3 facts.

The first is human error, whoever came up with 10 digits probably thought it would be right because we are natures creation and have 10 fingers/toes. Yet, that wouldn't always be right, as human obviously weren't built perfectly. The second fact, is that if you have ever been related to music/strings, you would see the number 12 keep comming up. There are 12 half notes, and on guitar every 12 frets, the harmonics are sound exactly the same as the 12th fret itself. It works this way for the 24th fret and up. There somthing called String Theory, where very genious scientists believe that the whole universe is based on strings, as strings have so many patterns in them that are all related to physics. The third and last fact would be the use of prime numbers. Most of the Prime Numbers either end WOULD either end with 5 or 7 if there really were 12 digits instead of 10. They are willing to give 1 million dollars to whoever finds the equation for finding prime numbers, and I think it IS related to 12 specific digits in some way.

Back to trinary code now. Trinary code would be the only possible way as there are only 3 ways to show that information. All of the patterns of 3 show that in the second link I gave you. One last thing, I know everything would have to be made again to be compatible with Trinary code, and fiber-optic may not be compatible with it.

Please feel free to discuss this.

[Blaze]

I found this really interesting, on the fact that everything would need to be re-written, How much better would technology be with this kind of code? Would it be worth doing this or would it just be a lot of agony for a lot of people?

[MetaL MilitiA]

I'm sure it would be agony a lot of people, yet in the long run, it should be worth it. Speed for current programs should increase by approximently 33%, and the same should happen with a 33% decrease in space taken. Perhaps more, as I do not want to check to make sure this is how it would do it. When I actually think about it, Trinary Coded computers will be able to read Binary code, yet not vice versa. It wouldn't be too hard to create a converter though.

[MyndFyre]

Interesting.  A note:

Musical harmonics rely on sound waves, which (as you correctly stated) resonate well in 12 half-notes, and the frequency of these pitches doubles every octave (12 half-notes).  However, when you have two frequencies that are any less than 4 half-notes apart, you get a certain amount of dissonance, which cancels out sound waves.  The only perfect resonance you can achieve is every 12 half-notes, or else you can have data loss.  Because of the nature of this dissonance as well, you have no margin of error.  In digital electronics, at least back in the days of the 8086, a +/-5V had a margin of about 0.8V, and the 0 had a margin of about 2.2V in determining whether the data was 1 or 0.

There are also several problems with using something like this.  First, sound is significantly slower than electricity.  Second, sound is actually a physical wave of atoms, as opposed to electricity, which is a subatomic transfer of energy; even if we could get sound moving rapidly within a microprocessor, we would see more rapid degredation of the materials in which they were built.

Your idea of combining positive and negative energies to form a third type of energy is the exact reason that we do NOT use both types right now.  Electricity is entirely negative.  Positive signals are not passed along the data bus of a computer; they are used for grounding, which neutralizes the energy.  A digital signal is composed of the presence of a charge or an absence of a charge, not the value of the charge.

"Binary" is not a waste of space; in fact, if it was, telephone companies would not be switching from analog (a system that uses a wide range of signals to transfer data) to digital (a system that uses binary signals to transfer data).  And on that topic -- binary is just a way for us to represent the abstract "charge" concept in our minds.

As for string theory -- read about it before you try to claim that it has applicable use in determining that dodecimal is the right numbering system as opposed to decimal.  Just because there are x frets on a guitar doesn't mean that the theorized strings that compose the universe have x^y wavelengths.  If humans can screw up on a numbering system, don't you think that maybe they could screw up a guitar, too?

And your prime number theory is dumb.  Regardless of how we represent numbers, the fact of the matter is that there is a specific infinite subset of numbers that are prime, which means they are only evenly divisible by themselves and 1.  In decimal already that eliminates any number ending in 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8.  In binary, any number that ends in 0 as well as any number that ends in 101.  It makes little difference that "most prime numbers would end in 5 or 7;" a prime number is dodecimal is a prime number in decimal as well.  11, for example, represented as B (if we keep the hex numbering system for dodecimal).

[R.a.B.B.i.T]

Adding on to MyndFyre's points:

Combining a 1 and 0 is known as an AND operation, and the result is always 1 for the expressedion (10, 1 * 0, 1 AND 0, etc...).  The binary system is fast because there are only TWO possible states: on or off, high or low, 1 or 0.  Adding a third would confuse the system, because it would be like "on, off, or on but off at the same time but neither really," which is just stupid.

Additionally:
Any number ending in a 5 is always not prime (except 5), because it can be divided by 1, 5, and itself (at least).
I forget the rule for 7 -.-

[Newby]

Additionally:
Any number ending in a 5 is always not prime (except 5), because it can be divided by 1, 5, and itself (at least).
I forget the rule for 7 -.-

Or a 0.

[R.a.B.B.i.T]

Nothing can be devided by zero, except zero, and be defined.

[MetaL MilitiA]

Mynd, I was not talking about using music for it, I was just giving an example at which there should be 12 specific digits instead of 10. I would not be combining it. There can be different frequences when tranfering engergy, which is how music is sent through your cables to your receiver. If we use frequencies, we would simply need a transistor at the end of the chain to convert it into the needed information. Binary IS a waste of space compared to Trinary. I was not saying at all that digital would be worse than analog, or anything of the such, and is pretty self explanable in what I said. When I was talking about guitar, I was just giving an example because all music for all instruments are the same. Actually, with the 12th harmonic meeting up with the 12th fret AND having 12 different half notes by using perfect maps proves that we did not have error on guitar.
And disreguard my Prime Number shit, I was just fooling around with it.

RaBBiT, the way we present the data is by on off or high and low, it only tells you if it is a 0 1 or 2, so they are basically juts variables. It will not interfere with the way the math works. And if you read what I said, I said if there were 12 specific digits. If there were, 5 would not have the same rules, and 7 never had any rules in the first place.

[Newby]

Nothing can be devided by zero, except zero, and be defined.

I meant if the number ended in a zero.

[Adron]

Trinary would be way slower, and would waste a lot more space than binary.

[MetaL MilitiA]

Not at all, binary is soo damn repetitive, trinary would have a lot more combinations, meaning less code for more stuff. Please back yourself up next time.

[TheMinistered]

And if you read what I said, I said if there were 12 specific digits. If there were, 5 would not have the same rules...

Lets take the number 550 in decimal and convert it to base-12: 39a

Now is 39a in base-12 still not divisible by 5?  The rule may not apply in this form, but simply convert it to base-10 again and you will know if it's divisible by 5 or not! Thus the rule doesn't f***ing matter, because 39a == 550!

[MetaL MilitiA]

Then disreguard it, and chill the hell out, I said it was just a theory that I never really looked into.

EDIT: I will try to explain this one last time. It won't have any rule for it. The MAJORITY of prime numbers will end with a 5 or a 7. I never said anything about all of them. If this post is too bland for you, and my theory is too, just simply disreguard it.

[Adron]

Not at all, binary is soo damn repetitive, trinary would have a lot more combinations, meaning less code for more stuff. Please back yourself up next time.

OK.

A binary logic gate can be built with two transistors, and the transistors can be made very inexact and small because they only have to be "on" or "off". Trinary logic would need to use more states than just on or off. Such a transistor, calibrated for analog use, is very much larger. Hence the waste of space.

Furthermore, binary logic can be made faster because the target output level is at the limit of the range - maximum or minimum. You do not have to worry about an overshoot, and so there's much less of a stabilization time for the output. Think bang-bang regulators - why are they so fast? With trinary logic, you'd have a target output level that you'd want to reach, there'd be overshoot, and all in all the input to output delay of any gate would be larger than for binary logic. Hence way slower.

[dxoigmn]

EDIT: I will try to explain this one last time. It won't have any rule for it. The MAJORITY of prime numbers will end with a 5 or a 7. I never said anything about all of them. If this post is too bland for you, and my theory is too, just simply disreguard it.

Um...if a number ends in 5, then it's divisible by 5 and therefore not prime.