Trinary

[Zelos]

Ive read that theyve manished to create computer where its using 3 as base and not 2. why doesnt all swich to that? then we can store much much more data

[Griz]

Ive read that theyve manished to create computer where its using 3 as base and not 2. why doesnt all swich to that? then we can store much much more data

how does a computer get away from binary?
what is this 3rd state of a 'switch'?

can you point me towards your source?

[Zelos]

it was so long ago that I dont remember where I found it. But its basacly, none/low/high voltage or something like that

[Griz]

it was so long ago that I dont remember where I found it. But its basacly, none/low/high voltage or something like that

hmmmm ...
so for decision making ...
or logic ...
0, 1, neither?
True, False, Neither?

[Zelos]

0,1,2

[Griz]

0,1,2

I understand that ...
but how does this relate to logic?  ... this means what?
yes?
no?
&
undecided?

[Zelos]

what does that have to do with this? it can be yes/no/(not used)
the big advantage is that in trinary you can use 9 bits to store the same amount 14 bits can in binary

[Greven]

what does that have to do with this? it can be yes/no/(not used)
the big advantage is that in trinary you can use 9 bits to store the same amount 14 bits can in binary

Well Zelos, it seems to me you dont have any really idea of how a computer works. What Griz means, is that how would you calculate (or better put: if it goes through an AND-gate) "TRUE AND UNDECIDED". What would the outcome of this be?

[Zelos]

and ure not making it easier to udnerstand what ure after

[Greven]

For example:
true AND false = FALSE
true OR false = TRUE
....
etc.

What will:
true AND undecided = ?
true OR undecided = ?

It is the logic!
How can anything be undecided in a computer... (and we are not talking about quantum computers, but normal classical computers)

[Zelos]

I still dont get what does this have to do with anything? if you only want true or false then you can use 0= false and 1/2 = true

[Griz]

a 'decision' is binary.
true or false.
that's what computers speak.
and we interfaced with them by combining 8 bits into a byte ...
so using a byte, we could use 8 switches to count from 0 to 255.
and we discovered that using hexidecimal ...
we can indeed use fewer 'digits' ... just 2, to count to 255.
BUT ... the machine still only understood 0 and 1.

so ... are you saying that the machine can now have not two states ...
but three? this is what I take it you are trying to convey.
so my question then is ...
where before we had 0 and 1, false and true ...
if the machine now understands 0, 1 and 2 ...
what does that '2' represent to us ...
0=false, 1=true .... so is 2=undecided?
and how is having a question/query put forth ...
being answered as 'undecided/don't know/???' ... of value for us?
this is what I am wondering.
how does this serve us in 'logic' ...
in decision making?
this is what I am wondering.

[Taldor]

What will:
true AND undecided = ?
true OR undecided = ?

true and undefined = undefined
false and undefined = false
undefined and undefined = undefined

true or undefined = true
false or undefined = undefined
undefined or undefined = undefined

[Numsgil]

Well, computers are based on Electronic circuits.  To have 3 states you'd have to entirely rebuild the entire science of computer engineering from the ground up.  As Griz pointed out AND and OR gates don't make any sense in a trinary system.

So you'd ahve to redesign that.

Then from that rebuild basic addition and subtraction.

On and on into the more complex stuff.

Anyway, that's why even if you built a trinary computer it would remain academic.  It's much easier to make present processors faster and increase the bandwsith (or whatever it's called inside the computer) between RAM and CPU, and create GPUs, etc.  Than to try and redesign the entire science from scratch for what may or may not be a better system.

[Zelos]

its gonna happen one day sooner or later, computers are soon gonna reach their limit and then we need something new, mohahahha