A ternary /ˈtɜːrnəri/ numeral system (also called base 3) has three as its base.[1] This means that you can only count with 0, 1, and 2. The first ten numbers (from 0 to 9) in ternary are 00, 01, 02, 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 100. When all the digits in the number reach 2, you add a 1 in front and change everything else to 0. There is another system with the same name more specifically called the balanced ternary system. This system is called that way because 0 is the middle digit, with the other two digits being -1 and 1. That system is used in comparison logic and ternary computers.

A ternary multiplication table
× 1 2 10 11 12 20 21 22 100
1 1 2 10 11 12 20 21 22 100
2 2 11 20 22 101 110 112 121 200
10 10 20 100 110 120 200 210 220 1000
11 11 22 110 121 202 220 1001 1012 1100
12 12 101 120 202 221 1010 1022 1111 1200
20 20 110 200 220 1010 1100 1120 1210 2000
21 21 112 210 1001 1022 1120 1211 2002 2100
22 22 121 220 1012 1111 1210 2002 2101 2200
100 100 200 1000 1100 1200 2000 2100 2200 10000
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Similar to a bit in binary, a ternary digit is called a trit.

References

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