By The Numbers 7: Decimals

So far, we've covered positive whole numbers in Klingon up to 9,999,999 - at which point we've run out of the number forming elements so far known to tlhIngan Hol.

Decimals

There are no known number-forming elements for tenths, hundredths, thousandths and so on. There are, however, two terms for non-whole numbers: bID half and vatlhvI' percent.

We've already covered percentages in a previous lesson; this is just a recap.

cha'maH vagh vatlhvI' Hong	one quarter impulse (25%)
bID Hong	one half impulse
chuyDaH. bID Do	Thrusters. Half speed.
javmaH jav vatlhvI' cha' HaSta	The display reads sixty-six percent
taHpu' mID roghvaH vatlhvI' 'ar	What percentage of the colony population survived?

Here is a new term; vI', the term for decimal point. This is how you can express decimal numbers.

vI'

The Klingon noun vI' means decimal point. vI' is used in expressing numbers with a decimal (non-whole number) component. When reading out such a number, use vI' where the point would be, and just read out the digits (remembering to count each zero):-

pagh vI' wa' wa' Soch chorgh	0.1178
cha' vI' jav jav wej	2.663
wej vI' Hut pagh pagh wa' Hut	3.90019
Soch vI' pagh jav vagh	7.065

Fundamental Constants

Some things are the same across the universe, even for Klingons. Some numbers, fundamental constants, are used in mathematics. They are irrational numbers, which mean that the decimal portions do not repeat or end.

Here are some important constants:-

The square root of 2:-

wa' vI' loS wa' loS cha' wa' wej vagh jav cha' wej Soch wej pagh Hut vagh pagh loS chorgh chorgh pagh wa' jav chorgh chorgh Soch cha' loS cha' pagh Hut jav Hut chorgh pagh Soch chorgh vagh jav Hut jav Soch wa' chorgh Soch vagh wej Soch jav Hut loS chorgh pagh Soch wej wa' Soch jav jav Soch Hut Soch wej Soch Hut Hut pagh Soch wej cha' loS Soch chorgh loS jav cha' wa' pagh Soch pagh wej chorgh chorgh vagh pagh wej chorgh Soch vagh wej loS ...

1. 4142135623 7309504880 1688724209 6980785696 7187537694 8073176679 7379907324 7846210703 8850387534 ...

Euler's constant e:-

cha' vI' Soch wa' chorgh cha' chorgh wa' chorgh cha' chorgh loS vagh Hut pagh loS vagh cha' wej vagh wej jav pagh cha' chorgh Soch loS Soch wa' wej vagh cha' jav jav cha' loS Hut Soch Soch vagh Soch cha' loS Soch pagh Hut wej jav Hut Hut Hut vagh Hut vagh Soch loS Hut jav jav Hut jav Soch jav cha' Soch Soch cha' loS pagh Soch jav jav wej pagh wej vagh wej vagh loS Soch vagh Hut loS vagh Soch wa' wej chorgh cha' wa' Soch chorgh vagh cha' vagh wa' jav jav loS cha' Soch loS ...

2. 7182818284 5904523536 0287471352 6624977572 4709369995 9574966967 6277240766 3035354759 4571382178 5251664274 ...

Pi (π):-

wej vI' wa' loS wa' vagh Hut cha' jav vagh wej vagh chorgh Hut Soch Hut wej cha' wej chorgh loS jav cha' jav loS wej wej chorgh wej cha' Soch Hut vagh pagh cha' chorgh chorgh loS wa' Hut Soch wa' jav Hut wej Hut Hut wej Soch vagh wa' pagh vagh chorgh cha' pagh Hut Soch loS Hut loS loS vagh Hut cha' wej pagh Soch chorgh wa' jav loS pagh jav cha' chorgh jav cha' pagh chorgh Hut Hut chorgh jav cha' chorgh pagh wej loS chorgh cha' vagh wej loS cha' wa' wa' Soch pagh jav Soch Hut ...

3. 1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 ...

Tau, or 2π:-

jav vI' cha' chorgh wej wa' chorgh vagh wej pagh Soch wa' Soch Hut vagh chorgh jav loS Soch jav Hut cha' vagh cha' chorgh jav Soch jav jav vagh vagh Hut pagh pagh vagh Soch jav chorgh wej Hut loS wej wej chorgh Soch Hut chorgh Soch vagh pagh cha' wa' wa' jav loS wa' Hut loS Hut chorgh chorgh Hut wa' chorgh loS jav wa' vagh jav wej cha' chorgh wa' cha' vagh Soch cha' loS wa' Soch Hut Hut Soch cha' vagh jav pagh jav Hut jav vagh pagh jav chorgh loS cha' wej loS wa' wej vagh Hut ...

6. 2831853071 7958647692 5286766559 0057683943 3879875021 1641949889 1846156328 1257241799 7256069650 6842341359 ...