# How to define a nestable Baseform function, BaseForm output becomes BaseForm input

Mathematica won't change a number's BaseForm recursively:

63969 // BaseForm[#, 16] & // BaseForm[#, 8] & // BaseForm[#, 2] &


Well, I inspected former answers, most of them treated formatting problems, but none of the anwers given treated the nestable aspect. Maybe I'm wrong, and I risk a duplicate.

(1) I would like to have a nestable function which allows constructs of the form

63969 // base@16 // base@8 // base@2


This feature might be adopted advantageously within iterative functions : NestList, FoldList, ...

## Edit1

To explain my interest for seamless changes of baseforms

2 ArcCot[GoldenRatio^2^^1111] == ArcCot[2^^1010101010]
2^^1010101010 // BaseForm[#, 4] &


## Edit2

I tried myself another approch, but it has an disadvantage: HoldForm isn't respected

ClearAll@base
base[b_] := Function[# // ReplaceAll[#, BaseForm[x_, _] :> BaseForm[x, 10]] & //
ToString // ToExpression // BaseForm[#, b] &]

testsuite = {5555, BaseForm[5555, 8], HoldForm@Plus[5000, 555],5*BaseForm[1111, 2]}
base@10 /@ testsuite

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You can define your own function that works with input the BaseForm of a number, sure:

myBase[a_?NumericQ, base_Integer] := BaseForm[a, base];
myBase[a_BaseForm, base_Integer] :=
BaseForm[
FromDigits[
IntegerString @@ a,
Last@a
],
base];


so that

63969 // myBase[#, 16] & // myBase[#, 8] &


gives you BaseForm[63969,8] but using as input the number's representation in hexadecimal.

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I often change the base of a number. Let's say I stored the number already in variable x. Now I don't want to remember if it's stored as a BaseForm or not. It shouldn't be important at all. Just using x//base@2, and that's it –  hieron Aug 20 '14 at 15:42
thanks - so then it is just an issue of defining a function that works on BaseForm. What I didn't understand why you'd want to go through the process of jumping from base to base but if it is on potentially stored numbers it makes sense. –  gpap Aug 20 '14 at 15:46
ClearAll[base];
base = If[Head[#] === BaseForm, BaseForm[First @ #, #2], BaseForm[##]] &;
FoldList[base, 63696, {16, 8, 2}]


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