If you write it out in base 12, it looks like 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 = 10,000. I can't tell you what number that is in English without working it out of course.
I do, because it's 2^16, a very important number in computer science (though less important now). But I won't spoil it by giving the answer.
<12> * <12> * <12> * <12> in base 12 is 10000
Assuming that you mean the decimal number "12" and not the number 12 in base 12 which is the decimal number 14.
In base 12 the number 12 is written "10"
Edit: lol responses explode within 60 seconds saying the same thing.
It's only hard bc your "12" is in base 10. In the proper base it's easy.
It can make sense as a mistake without needing the base to actually be higher. The base isn't higher just because they carried a digit incorrectly.
Edit: yeah, wanting to add a symbol for twelve instead of two more symbols before 10 in base twelve is my hasty mistake.
Edit: You got nine of us with one comment. You win.
Do you know how many feet are in a mile? The answer is: Who cares.
The fact that you could pick a better base is irrelevant. They had their chance and came up with some silly numbers to scale from an inch to feet to yards to miles.
Metric: Just remember the base unit. Want a new unit? You change the prefix and move the dot appropriately. You can now scale down to atoms or up to galaxies with a single base unit.