Base Negative Four Arithmetic Awesome Math 2011

Recall that a base −4 representation of a number is a string of digits

{0, 1, 2, 3} representing a sum of multiples of powers of −4. For example,

321.21−4 = 3(−4)2 + 2(−4)1 + 1(−4)0 + 2(−4)−1 + 1(−4)−2

1 1
= 3 · 16 − 2 · 4 + 1 · 1 − 2 · + 1 ·
4 16
1 1
= 48 − 8 + 1 − +
2 16
9
= 40 + = 649/16.
16
1. In the space provided, construct the addition and multiplications tables
for the base −4 digits.
+ 0 1 2 3 × 0 1 2 3
0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
+ 0 1 2 3 × 0 1 2 3
0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0
Solution: 1 1 2 3 130 1 0 1 2 3
2 2 3 130 131 2 0 2 130 132
3 3 130 131 132 3 0 3 132 121

2. List, in ascending order, the representations of the integers from 1 to

14.
Solution: Omitting the −4 subscript, 1, 2, 3, 130, 131, 132, 133, 120, 121, 122, 123, 110, 111, 112

3. Note that 12−4 represents 1 · (−4)1 + 2 · (−4)0 = −2. List, in descending

order, the representations of the first 14 negative integers.
Solution: Again omitting the −4 subscript, 13, 12, 11, 10, 23, 22, 21, 20, 33, 32, 31, 30, 1303, 130

4. How can one determine whether a number in the system is positive or

negative?

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Base Negative Four Arithmetic Awesome Math 2011

Solution: If the leftmost digit is in the first, third, fifth, position, the
number is positive. If the leftmost digit is in an even position, the
number is negative.

5. Note that the sum of digits table, above, indicates that every carry
from addition involves two carry digits. Use this fact to explain why
the sum of two ‘positives’ is ‘positive’ and the sum of two ‘negatives’
is ‘negative’.
Solution: If you add two positive numbers, their leftmost digits are in
an odd position. If there is no carry, then the sum has a representation
whose leftmost digit is in an odd position, and if there is carry, that
carry is a two digit carry, and so, again the leftmost digit is in an odd
position.

6. Use the notion that the product of two positive integers may be re-
garded as successive addition and use your explanation from (5) to
argue that the product of two ‘positives’ is ‘positive’ and a ‘positive’
times a ‘negative’ is ‘negative’.
Solution: Repeated addition of positive numbers results in a posi-
tive number. The same argument works for the product of a positive
number and a negative number.
Definition. If two symbols represent the integers that have a sum of
zero, then the two integers are called additive inverses of each other.
Note that from questions (1) and (2) we have that 1−4 and 13−4 repre-
sent additive inverses since 1 + 13 = 0.

7. Find a quick method to determine the additive inverse of a given inte-

ger. Then use this method to work the subtraction problem 1132003−4 −
1202313−4 .

8. Interpret 123.32−4 as we did above for 321.21−4 .

Solution: 123.32−4 = (−4)2 + 2(−4)1 + 3(−4)0 + 3(−4)−1 + 2(−4)−2 =
11 − 0.75 + 0.125 = 83/8 = 10.375.

9. Find the base −4 representation of 99

Solution: Repeated division yields 99 = 13203−4 .

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Base Negative Four Arithmetic Awesome Math 2011

10. Find the base −4 representation of 17.5

Solution: Repeated division yields 17.5 = 102.2−4 .

11. Find the base −4 representation of 1/2, 1/4 and 1/16.

Solution: 1/2 = 1.2−4 by inspection, and 1/4 = 1.3−4 . The number
1/16 is easy to represent because 0.014 = 0.01−4 .

12. Find the base −4 representation of 1/3

Solution: Since multiplication by 16 just moves the radix point two
places, we get an idea of the answer by finding the base −4 rep-
resentation of 16/3, which begins 132..... Thus we try the number
x = 1.32−4 . In the usual way, multiply by (−4)2 = 16 and subtract
to get 16x − x = 132.32 − 1.32 = 131, which means that 15x = 5.
So x = 13 . Alternatively, write one third as a sum of powers of 4:
1/3 = (1/4) + (1/4)2 + (1/4)3 · · · = 1.3 + .01 + .013 + .0001 + .00013 +
.00001 + · · · = 1.32−4

13. Devise a method to determine if a given integer is a multiple of 5 based

on its base −4 representation. Find a digit d that makes 23231123d−4
a multiple of 5.
Solution: Since −4 ≡ 1(mod 5), it follows that each base −4 numeral
is congruent to the sum of its digits, modulo 5. Thus d = 3 works
here.

14. Carry out the arithmetic 2312.12−4 + 13202.31−4 .

Solution: The main idea is that of negative carry. Notice that in this
problem, the .1−4 + .3−4 = −1−4 = −1, so that the addition looks a
little like subtraction. 2312.12−4 + 13202.31−4 = 113.03−4.

15. Write the symbol that represents the additive inverse of the number
1202313−4 .
Solution: Recalling that one way to write −1 is 13, it seem reasonable
to write zero as 14 for the moment. Note that both 14 and 28 can
be thought of as zero. We may therefore consider the string of digits
1402814 as zero. Now place the number 1202313 directly below 1402814
and subtract. We get 200501 which we can rewrite as 213101. To check
this, consider the sum 1202313 + 213101. Now recall that carrying 13

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Base Negative Four Arithmetic Awesome Math 2011

is the same as subtracting 1 from the next column. Thus 1202313 +

213101 = 0, proving that these two are additive inverses of each other.

16. Using your answer from the previous question and the definition of
subtraction, rewrite and then solve the addition problem defined by
1132003−4 − 1202313−4 .
Solution: Because of the last problem, subtraction of 1202313 is the
same as adding its additive inverse 213101. So the number we want is

1132003

+213101
1331230

17. Carry out the arithmetic 112.3−4 × 33.2−4 .

Solution: 112.3−4 × 33.2−4 = 2110.32−4 .