What does the math term base mean?

Answer 1

It is the number of units before placing in an extra digit.

Our normal 'base' is 'ten/10'.

However, there is Base 2/two . This is used in compouting and is called 'binary'.

There is also a base '16' (Hexadecimal), also used in comuting.

The seconds / minutes / hours of time ase base '60'. .

Answer 2

There are many different meanings to the word, depending on the context.

In geometry, it usually refers to a side or face that is at the bottom of the figure. But in calculating the area of a trapezium the bottom AND THE TOP are called bases. Also, in the case of prisms, for example, bases refer to the two congruent faces even though they are often illustrated in vertical planes.

In exponents or indices, a base is the number that is raised to a power. For example, 3 is the base in 34 ( = 3*3*3*3). Numbering systems use bases, and their powers as counting blocks. For example, the decimal system uses base 10 and that means that we count whole numbers in units, 10s, 102s (hundreds), 103s (thousands) and so on. And on the other side of the decimal point you have negative powers of the same base. Most data storage systems use binary, or base 2. There are octal (base 8) and hexadecimal (base 16) systems which are defined in analogous fashion.

Because of the way in which exponents and logarithms are related, since 34 = 81, then 4 = log381 and 3 is the base for logarithms in this example.

Then there are modulo bases, which are probably easier to explain with a simple example. 8 o'clock plus 6 hours is 2 o'clock. Why? Because you wrap around the 12. Calculations are done with 12 as the base modulus. Similarly, days of the week are on a base 7 pattern.

There