The Bibi-binary system for numeric notation (, or abbreviated "") is a
hexadecimal
Hexadecimal (also known as base-16 or simply hex) is a Numeral system#Positional systems in detail, positional numeral system that represents numbers using a radix (base) of sixteen. Unlike the decimal system representing numbers using ten symbo ...
numeral system first described in 1968 by singer/mathematician
Robert "Boby" Lapointe (1922–1972). At the time, it attracted the attention of
André Lichnerowicz, then engaged in studies at the
University of Lyon.
The notational system directly and logically encodes the binary representations of the digits in a hexadecimal (base sixteen) numeral. In place of the Arabic numerals 0–9 and letters A–F currently used in writing hexadecimal numerals, it presents sixteen newly devised symbols (thus evading any risk of confusion with the decimal system). The graphical and phonetic conception of these symbols is meant to render the use of the Bibi-binary "language" simple and fast.
The description of the language first appeared in ''Les Cerveaux non-humains'' ("Non-human brains"), and the system can also be found in ''Boby Lapointe'' by Huguette Long Lapointe.
Name
The central observation driving this system is that sixteen can be written as 2 to the power of 2, to the power of 2. As we use the term
binary
Binary may refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics
* Binary number, a representation of numbers using only two values (0 and 1) for each digit
* Binary function, a function that takes two arguments
* Binary operation, a mathematical op ...
for numbers written in base two, Lapointe reasoned that one could also say "bi-binary" for base four, and thus "bibi-binary" for base 16. Its name may also be a pun, as the word ''bibi'' in French is slang for "me" or "myself";
various forms of word play were at the centre of Lapointe's artistic œuvre.
Pronunciation
In addition to unique graphical representations, Lapointe also devised a pronunciation for each of the sixteen digits. Using four consonants (HBKD) and four vowels (OAEI), one obtains sixteen combinations:
HO, HA, HE, HI, BO, BA, BE, BI, KO, KA, KE, KI, DO, DA, DE, DI.
To express any number, it suffices to enumerate the (hexadecimal) digits that make it up. For example: the number written as "2000" in decimal, which translates to "7D0" in conventionally-written hexadecimal, would in Bibi-binary be spoken aloud as "BIDAHO".
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Conversion en ligne décimal ↔ bibi-binaire(in French)
Hexadecimal numeral system
Positional numeral systems