Friday, January 13, 2006

What is Radix?

ra-dix
1. Biology. A root or point of origin. 2. Mathematics. The base of a system of numbers, such as 2 in the binary system or 10 in the decimal system.
[Latin radix, root. From the Indo-Euopean wrad-, branch or root]

From the roots come the trunk, branches and leaves of the tree, its shape, its character and its 'lifestyle'. Language families have a 'root language' that give all the descendant languages their structure. Hair, teeth and nerves have roots that hold them and nurture them. Human families trace geneology to ancestral roots -- ancestors whose decisions and actions determine the location, lives and physical appearance of their progeny.

Musical chords are built from root notes. From the simple embryo 'root' comes the complex adult. From the events of the past come the reality of the present, and the possibilities of the future.

To understand the whole of something one must absolutely study its roots.