Binary Pushups!

Who says binary numbers have no practical applications! You can use them when you do pushups! For example, if I can, I start by doing (decimal) sixteen (which is binary 10000). Then, I stop and take a deep breath. Once I am ready to do more, I then do 8 (binary 1000. Binary 10000 + 1000 = 11000 - decimal 24 so far). Again, I take a breath, and rest a bit. Then, I do 4 (binary 100. Binary 11000 + 100 = 11100, or decimal 28). Another deep breath and rest, and then I do 2 (binary 10. Binary 11100 + 10 = 11110, or decimal 30). Another breath and rest, and then I do 1. Binary 11110 + 1 = 11111, or 31. Then? I take one more breath and rest, and "push it all over a 'bit'" by doing one last pushup. Binary 11111 + 1 = 1 00000, or decimal 32. (By the way? With decimal numbers? There ARE no other symbols than "0" and "1". Therefore, "1" plus "1" equals "10" just like, in decimal, "9" plus "1" equals "10". Furthermore, binary "11111" plus "1" equals "1 00000" just like decimal "99,999" plus "1" would equal "100,000". Hope that helps!)


But, wait! Some nights, I don't feel up to doing 16 to begin with! In that case, I do eight! Then four, two, one and one. That all adds up to binary 1000, 100, 10, 1, and 1


Binary    Decimal
1000       8
+100       4
  +10       2
    +1       1
    +1       1
-------     ----
=10000,  16.


In other words, if I cannot start with 16, I start with half as many.


Let's say, furthermore, that I could only do four to start. Then, I know I can always do that, and then  2, 1, and 1 and "double" that to "eight".


Bottom line? I have found you can always "double" what you were able to do to begin with; if you stop and rest in between intervals - by cutting the number of pushups in half each time (and then "topping it off" with one at the end).