Primel is a measurement system grounded in duodecimal or "dozenal" base arithmetic. Given the high factorability of the number twelve compared to ten, dozenal is arguably a more convenient base for human use than decimal. It is for that reason that so many historical systems of measure naturally incorporated factors of twelve. However, when they did so, it was only piecemeal. Primel can be characterized as a "dozenal-metric" metrology, similar to the Tim-Grafut-Maz (TGM) metrology devised by Tom Pendlebury. Like TGM, Primel systematizes its units around powers of twelve to the same degree that the metric system (now known as the International System of Units, or SI) systematizes its units around powers of ten.
Base-Neutral Base Annotations
Pages within this wiki compare dozenal quantities of Primel units with many decimal quantities of the International System of Units (SI) and the United States Customary (USC) system. To avoid confusion, this wiki explicitly annotates the base of every number longer than a single digit. It uses the standard mathematical convention which places the base annotation into a right subscript. However, instead of expressing the base itself as a number in decimal, a subscript "d" indicates that the base is decimal, and a subscript "z" indicates the base is dozenal: For instance, ᘔz = 10d, Ɛz = 11d, 10z = 12d, 100z = 144d, etc.
This wiki also uses a subscript "x" to indicate base sixteen, also known as "hexadecimal" (base 10d), or (in SNNz) as "unquadral" (base 14z). For instance, 90x = 100z = 144d.