Number, Name, and Concept
Number, Name, and Concept
Dozen, hour, minute, week involve quantity. As words they are names.
Amounts are names of quantities: words like five, six, or eight. They make it possible to speak of eggs; minutes, seconds or days; and
most objects, in terms of how many are present. Number-symbols are short
for quantity-name words. An overview table at
Sixteen, also located as the first of
six pointers in 16_Links, and its components,
the last five items found from that place, thoroughly covers
the quantity three hands plus one.
The numeric symbol five repeats in the "Figure
Five in Gold" painting by Demuth, found in the New York City Metropolitan Museum
of Art. Inspired by William Carlos Williams' poem The Great Figure, the
image of fives and fire engine headlights, assigns power to the vehicle that
really belongs to humanity's invention of numbers.
Poem-Inspired Painting
|
The Great Figure
William Carlos Williams
Among the rain
and lights
I saw the figure 5
in gold
on a red
fire truck
moving
tense
unheeded
to gong clangs
siren howls
and wheels rumbling
through the dark city
|
Five Symbols
|
This link between words and an image involving numbers is natural. Both are
kinds of language, ways to communicate. Languages' kinships are detected by the
stability of their words for five, usually a synonym for hand. In
the same way that tally marks to represent a five group differently,
the Romans used a V-like five (figure above, at the right). [Tallies count
successively,
| || ||| |||| ... and then |||| with
an overlay of a diagonal stroke. For more please click Words and Concepts.]
Numbers lead to power. Ideas like `odd' lead to problem-solving ability. The
Apples & Baskets puzzle tests understanding of
odd and even , the mathematical form of the idea behind digital
computers, "on or off." The next puzzle requires familiarity with
numbers on computers.
Example 5. (Merwyn Sommer) Find the number that should follow 24 in:
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, __?
For a detailed set of related information, please click
Help Sequence? For more questions, please click
Some Problems.
A student project about Mathematics (four topics; women with math careers) is at
Bright Colors. Topics covered are: