Bibi-binary – Wikipedia

Hexadecimal quantity system

Every Bibi digit is fashioned from a sq. arranging the 1-bits in its binary illustration. If solely a single bit is 1 a vertical line runs via the centre and ends in that bit’s nook; in any other case it depends on the order of the positions of the 1-bits. When there are precisely two 1-bits, the road passes around the centre. The kinds are rounded when there are lower than three 1-bits, and use sharp corners when three or 4 of the bits are 1.

The Bibi-binary system for numeric notation (in French système Bibi-binaire, or abbreviated “système Bibi“) is a hexadecimal numeral system first described in 1968^[1] by singer/mathematician Robert “Boby” Lapointe (1922–1972). On the time, it attracted the eye of André Lichnerowicz, then engaged in research on the University of Lyon. It discovered some use in a wide range of unexpected functions: stochastic poetry, stochastic artwork, color classification, aleatory music, architectural symbolism, and so forth.^{[citation needed]}

The notational system straight and logically encodes the binary representations of the digits in a hexadecimal (base sixteen) numeral. Instead of the Arabic numerals 0–9 and letters A–F presently utilized in writing hexadecimal numerals, it presents sixteen newly devised symbols (thus evading any threat of confusion with the decimal system). The graphical and phonetic conception of those symbols is supposed to render the usage of the Bibi-binary “language” easy and quick.

The outline of the language first appeared in Les Cerveaux non-humains (“Non-human brains”),^[2] and the system may also be present in Boby Lapointe by Huguette Lengthy Lapointe.^[3]

Why Bibi[edit]

The central commentary driving this method is that sixteen could be written as 2 to the ability of two, to the ability of two. As we use the time period binary for numbers written in base two, Lapointe reasoned that one may additionally say “bi-binary” for base 4, and thus “bibi-binary” for base 16. Its title may additionally be a pun,^{[citation needed]} because the phrase bibi in French is slang for “me” or “myself”; varied types of phrase play have been on the centre of Lapointe’s creative œuvre.

Pronunciation[edit]

Along with distinctive graphical representations, Lapointe additionally devised a pronunciation for every of the sixteen digits. Utilizing 4 consonants (HBKD) and 4 vowels (OAEI), one obtains sixteen mixtures:

HO, HA, HE, HI, BO, BA, BE, BI, KO, KA, KE, KI, DO, DA, DE, DI.

To specific any quantity, it suffices to enumerate the (hexadecimal) digits that make it up. For instance: the quantity written as “2000” in base ten, which interprets to “7D0” in conventionally-written hexadecimal, would in Bibi-binary be spoken aloud as “BIDAHO”.

Damaging numbers[edit]

Opposite to the numeric conventions utilized in fashionable computer systems, the bibi-binary system represents damaging numbers utilizing ones’ complement,^{[citation needed]} reasonably than two’s complement. Thus:

+7 is written 0 0111
−7 is written 1 1000

and their sum is written as “1 1111” (one among two representations of zero on this system; zero may also be written as “0 0000”).

On fashionable machines, in traditional binary notation, −7 can be written 1 1001, and the sum of −7 and seven would give “0 0000”; this “two’s complement” system thus wants solely a single illustration for the quantity zero.

References[edit]

^ Brevet d’invention n° 1.569.028, Procédé de codification de l’info, Robert Jean Lapointe, demandé le 28 mars 1968, délivré le 21 avril 1969. Downloaded from INPI.
^ Jean-Marc Font, Jean-Claude Quiniou, Gérard Verroust, Les Cerveaux non-humains : introduction à l’Informatique, Denoël, Paris, 1970.
^ Huguette Lengthy Lapointe, Boby Lapointe, Encre, Paris, 1980 ISBN 2-86418-148-7