Can someone help explain the fundamental concept of binary in finger counting and make sense of it?
First, how do we count in decimal?
We have 10 symbols 0 to 9.
We start with one symbol:
(0) We usually skip 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
…
Now we are stuck - we’ve run out of symbols!
So we use two digits like so:
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
The left symbol is 10x its digit, so
12 means 1 ten and 2. After 19 we go:
20
21
Etc.
At 99 we run out of 2 digit combinations so we use 3:
100
Left symbol is 100x its digit value, the middle is 10x its digit value and the right one use just itself
Now, binary:
You just have 2 symbols: 0 and 1.
So let’s count:
0 (in computer science we often don’t skip 0 when counting so we can save on the total number of bits (binary digits) we use.
Where was I?
0
1
Ok, stuck early, but we use the same trick - let’s use 2 symbols:
10
11
But what do these mean?
The left bit is 2x its value.
So
10 = 2 +0 or just 2
11 = 2 +1 or 3
Now we have used up 2 symbols so we go to 3 symbols.
100
101
110
111
the left symbol is 2*2 or 4 the middle symbol is 2 and the right symbol is just itself.
so 100 is 4
101 is 5 (4+1)
110 is 6 (4+2)
111 is 7 (4+2+1)
So for binary numbers you get to know the doubling numbers:
1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1024
…
So look at your hands.
Usually you have 10 fingers.
So choose a sequence for them:
▌▌▌▌▄▄ ▄▄ ▌▌▌▌
(excuse the art quality 
is supposed to be a left hand
left pinky, left ring finger, left middle finger, left index finger and a thumb followed by a right thumb, right index finger, right middle finger, right ring finger, right pinky)
I’m taking left to right, but any sequence works.
so make a fist:
▖▖▖▖▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
All the fingers are folded.
So let a folder finger be 0
and an extended finger be 1.
Extend just your left pinky.
Left pinky = 1
▌▖▖▖▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
Extend just your left ring finger.
Left ring finger = 2
▖▌▖▖▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
Extend just your left middle finger.
Left middle finger = 4
▖▖▌▖▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
Extend just your left index finger.
Left index finger = 8
▖▖▖▌▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
Extend just your left thumb.
Left thumb = 16
▖▖▖▖▄▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
now for the right hand
right thumb would be 32
right index finger would be 64
right middle finger would be 128
right ring finger would be 256
right thumb would be 512.
So how far can you count?
▖▖▖▖▄ ▄ ▖▖▖▖
or in binary
0000 0 0 0000 or 0
to
▌▌▌▌▄▄ ▄▄ ▌▌▌▌
or in binary
1111 1 1 1111 or 512+256+128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1 = 1023
After a bit the binary counting pattern makes sense it goes
0000
0001
0010
0011
0100
0101
0110
0111
1000
1001
1010
1011
1100
1101
1110
1111
and you can learn to “read off” the value when you know the powers of 2 (the doubling numbers).
For comfort sake you can choose a different sequence for the fingers and choose whether extended is 0 or 1 - as long as the same finger is always the same value.
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Also check out counting to 60 on your fingers:
see
Did that make sense?
Yes, I read your method and watched a few videos. I understand the concept now, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Now I need to find specific dexterity exercises for my ring finger. It doesn’t want to cooperate. I think the guitar “spider walk” has been the most helpful so far, but I have a long way to go to make a good 10010, 11010, 10110, ect.