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[GreatWyrmGold]

1. Close Fist.
2. Extend Thumb or Index Finger.
3. Extend Index Finger or Middle Finger.
4. Extend Middle Finger or Ring Finger.
5. Extend Ring Finger or Pinky.
6. Extend Pinky or Thumb.
7. Repeat with other hand as needed.
8. Don't try to count on your fingers if you need to count higher than 10.

[Lenglon]

@Lenglon
How do you typically display five with your hands?

I prefer to use the ASL handsigns, and display five by extending all my fingers outwards.

You are missing my point. Both of you, in fact.

How the hell do you count on a hand by starting from a closed fist? From my earliest years, whenever I needed to count on a hand, I started from an open palm and bent fingers down for every digit. The opposite I only ever seen used by boxing referees, as a means of counting and pointing at once.

I was taught to start with zero fingers up, then raise one finger up as I said each number, meaning that I started with a closed fist. I retrained myself to use ASL handsigns roughly ten years ago, and those start with forming my hand into a empty circle for zero, and one is my index finger alone. six is tapping my thumb with my pinky finger. ten is my thumb alone.
EDIT: for clarity, I count to ten on one hand, I don't use the other in any way.
second edit: bad habit of mine, i was doing the numbers 6+ backwards (1,2,3,4,5,9,8,7,6,10) when I was typing this up at first. fixed now.

[syvarris]

...Wow, I never realized there was so much variance in how people count on their hands.  I thought everyone did it with the index finger equalling one, middle + index = 2, ect.

And yeah, binary works a bit different.  Since you're not just counting how many fingers there are, you have to account for the fingers that are down too.  And since starting with the pinky is annoying (two comes up more than eight), I start with the thumb.

@Lenglon
I've thought about using ASL's method, but I ended up preferring binary because you can count higher using a static image.  With ASL you need movements to say "one hundred thirty two".  With binary, you just flip the person two birds.

@Sean
That seems crazy and backwards to my american mind.  I'm guess you're different because you're russian.

[Parisbre56]

May I ask what's the usefulness of counting with one's hands? Besides showing the numbers to others?

Although I have to admit, using your hands to count in binary does sound very efficient, if a bit hard to do. Numbers between 7 and 16 would be really hard.

[Sean Mirrsen]

@Sean
That seems crazy and backwards to my american mind.  I'm guess you're different because you're russian.

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing as well. Chalk it up to the "In Soviet Russia" effect.

Also, that means that for me, the offensive number is 27.

[syvarris]

It's mostly useful for keeping track of how many times something happens while distracted.  It's pretty easy to automate the movements needed to advance a number- I can do it without thinking.  I regularly count things up to sixty or so, while maintaining a conversation.

Try counting how many times someone blinks while you talk to them.  It's very hard if you do it mentally.


Obviously, it's bad for quickly communicating small numbers, because it's hard to read without practice and people will usually just count your fingers anyways.  Most people just think you're saying three if you show them seven in binary.

And yes, it requires practice, and eight will always look weird.

[GreatWyrmGold]

While we're talking about finger-counting, since SCUBA divers need to be able to communicate all ten digits with one hand, they use the typical one-through-five for, well, one through five...and then turn their hand around and sideways for six-through-ten. A hand-circle is zero, just like in ASL. This is an interesting and efficient means to count^{[citation needed]}.

[NAV]

As a scuba diver, I confirm what GWG said.

[Yoink]

4 is the best number i'll fite u bro

On that note, I'll take 16.

[Corsair]

5/54/45/55 the first of those that is available

[WhitiusOpus]

50






Ohooh, I'm halfway theeere... Ohooh, livin' on'a prayer...

[Toaster]

14, obviously.

[Alarith]

If 33 is available, take it.  If not, take 10

[Tiruin]

Tiruin/Feyri picks 55, also thanks Parisbre for being so kind as to inform her.
...
Thanks..

[WhitiusOpus]

While we're talking about finger-counting, since SCUBA divers need to be able to communicate all ten digits with one hand, they use the typical one-through-five for, well, one through five...and then turn their hand around and sideways for six-through-ten. A hand-circle is zero, just like in ASL. This is an interesting and efficient means to count^{[citation needed]}.

The more you know.