ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Factorial number system

Think of the factorial number system as a counting game! You know how you count up from 1 to 10? Well, the factorial number system is a way of counting using factorials instead of regular numbers.

What's a factorial, you ask? A factorial is when you multiply a number by all the numbers below it. For example, 5 factorial (written as 5!) is equal to 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120.

Now, let's say we're counting in the factorial number system. We start with 0! (which is equal to 1, by the way). Our next number is 1!, then 2!, then 3!, and so on.

But here's where things get interesting. Let's say we want to count to 10 in the factorial number system. We start with 0! and move to 1!. Then, instead of going to 2!, we go to 1! again and add 1 to it. So, we have 1! + 1! = 2!.

Next, we move on to 2!. But instead of going to 3!, we go back to 1! and add 2 to it (since 2! = 2 x 1). So, we have 1! + 2! = 3!.

We keep doing this until we reach 10, which in the factorial number system is written as 2! + 3! + 4!.

So, in summary, the factorial number system is a counting game where we use factorials instead of regular numbers. We start with 0! and move through each factorial, but instead of going to the next one, we go back to the beginning and add a certain amount to get to the next number. It may seem confusing at first, but it's actually a fun way to count!