The Basics of Ectal Counting

Our numerical system has been based, since time immemorial, on multiples and exponents of ect. This is likely owing to the simple fact that we, as a people, have four fingers on each hand, and so we when counting using our fingers, we count by ects. One might be tempted to credit our ancestors with awareness of the easy divisibility and overall elegance of ectoid maths, but more than anything else it is probably the fingers.

We begin, of course, at zero, written as 0. In the ones digit, we count our numbers as one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, written as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Then, moving into the ects, we count ect, written as 10. This is twice four, or four by two.

In the ects, we count nect, twect, threct, fect, fitect, sitect, vitect, written as 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. We see the linguistic origins here - ect and one becomes nect, ect and two becomes twect, ect and three becomes threct, and so forth. This is a pattern that is followed throughout our counting.

After vitect, we count twoct, written as 20. This is twice ect, four by four. We count from there, throct one, throct two, and such, written as 21, 22, etcetera. Our ects digits are counted as ect, twoct, throct, foct, fict, sict, voct. The linguistic pattern holds, save for fict, and this is likely due to the existence of foct right before it.

Adding one to voct seven, we count one tectet, written 100. This is frequently abbreviated as tect, with the formal "tectet" typically used only in the singular, and in maths. One tectet is ect by ect. One tect one is 101, one tect twoct is 120, and so forth.

Adding one to seven tect voct seven, we count one hachet, written 1000. This is always written at its full form, and beyond that, is used linguistically much as tect. Three hachet is written 3000. Ect hachet is written 10000. Tect hachet is written 100000.

A hachet of hachets, written 1000000, is an ohachet. Now we are in the realm of truly high numbers. Much like a hachet below it, the ohachet is counted by digits - ect ohachet, tect ohachet. Ect by tect ohachet gives us the tuhachet. A hachet of tuhachets gives us the trehachet. Then the fohachet, the fihachet, the sihachet, the vehachet.

An ect of vehachets gives us the hachect. Should one ever need to count beyond the hachect, further numbers are delineated - the ohachect, tuhachect, and so forth into the tiers of the hachekets, the hatets, the hatects, the hatectets, the hatekets, the hactekets, and the hatechekets, as our linguistics are quite patterned and thorough - but one shudders to imagine the maths that might require one to deal in powers of ect beyond three tect.

The act of division, linguistically, is quite simple. The -th suffix applies for the 1/X calculation, in all cases. One ecth, one fitecth, one vocth, one tecth, and so forth.

For the marking of time, we frequently use the term ectad, meaning a period of ect years, and tectad, meaning a period of tect years. For extraordinary lengths, measuring the life of nations, one may encounter the term hachetry, measuring a period of one hachet years.