Octal math

Note: This article is about octal, which is a real thing. For more information, consult the other wiki.

The people of Delgar use octal math. What this means is that they write the number 7 with one symbol ("7") but they write the number 8 with two symbols ('10"). If you've ever studied numeric bases for some reason (probably computer science) you probably already understand this, but in case it's confusing, here's the basic idea:

In decimal (the numbers you know and love) we have 10 different symbols for numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. When counting, after passing 9, we have no individual symbol to write the number 10, so we write it with two symbols: one in the "ten's place" and one in the "one's place", like so:

Tens (101)	Ones (100)	Calculation	Value (Decimal)
1	0	1×101 + 1×100	10

Octal works the same way, but it only has 8 symbols (like an octagon has 8 sides): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. After 7, they use two symbols to write the number 8, like so: "10"

Eights (81)	Ones (80)	Calculation	Value (Decimal)
1	0	1×81 + 1×80	8

Okay, but now when I see the number "10" how do I know if it's a ten or an eight? Easy: Unless specified otherwise, it's ten. To do anything else would be very confusing. When a number is octal, it will be indicated with a subscript 8, like so: 10₈ = 8.

Note: For single digit numbers, this distinction is immaterial. 5_{8 = 510}