Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

  1. #1
    Senior Member Kaputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    By the long tidal river.
    Posts
    1,043
    Thanks
    2,713
    Thanked 2,570 Times in 695 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Every now and then, I check my Amazon profile and see how many helpful votes my reviews have generated. Even though my last review (for a no longer offered journal with Tomoe River paper) was a year ago today, the number of up votes has been slowly growing, and is now up to 997.

    One of my first thoughts was, "I wonder if I'll hit 1000". Then I thought, "why should that be anything special?" Is it because it's a largish round number, a multiple of ten, a power of ten?

    997 is special in its own way. It's a prime number, and the largest prime less than 1000. But then, why should that be special either?

    How many of us do have these "irrational" feelings about certain numbers? What does it say about the way our minds work? I have to admit that I'm more interested in the questions than in finding definite answers for them, which is probably just as well.
    "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
    G.K. Chesterton

  2. #2
    Senior Member guyy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Posts
    775
    Thanks
    381
    Thanked 618 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    I hear you; numbers like pi and e and sqrt 2 are just totally irrational.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Pterodactylus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Austria
    Posts
    3,885
    Thanks
    2,412
    Thanked 4,804 Times in 1,697 Posts
    Rep Power
    15

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    At least I feel similar, but most likely this is common for human beings as we always try to measure, quantify, compete with others, reach goals, go beyond borders, try to win, extend our knowledge,.....

    Measuring not only our and others performance, work, reputation, but also everything around us, the environment we live, nature, time, weight, dimensions, relations, up to the universe ..... the list is endless, this is part of human nature.

    And behind all this there are numbers or if you want to see it in a more generic way Mathematics.



    A couple of years I posted my 1000th picture and it also felt like something special, even if the 1000th picture by itself had nothing special which made it superior to all the others.

    I just thought, hey incredible this is a big number, now it has 4 digits instead of 3, and I never thought that I would post 1000 pictures when I started.... and I was happy, it just felt like an important milestone.

  4. #4
    Senior Member CrayonAngelss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    South Central PA
    Posts
    115
    Thanks
    638
    Thanked 199 Times in 101 Posts
    Rep Power
    4

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    I do the same thing. My step-tracker on my watch yesterday said I was at 21,970 steps (I never sit still) and I thought "oh I should try to hit 22k..." But why? What real difference does it make? Certain numbers follow me around, too. Though I wonder if they are REALLY following me, or if it's all a coincidence? I see 3:16 on the clock almost everyday, a bit less often now, but consistently still. This has been going on for YEARS. 8 was a constant number for me as a child. Our house number was 8, along with my grandma's condo, and then her nursing room number. And being born on the 17th, I'm supposedly ruled by 8.

  5. #5
    Senior Member manoeuver's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Near Midwest, US
    Posts
    1,594
    Thanks
    1,227
    Thanked 1,081 Times in 555 Posts
    Rep Power
    15

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Human existence hinges on finding meaning where there is none. Keep up the good work!

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to manoeuver For This Useful Post:

    Marsilius (August 4th, 2020)

  7. #6
    Senior Member Marsilius's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    800
    Thanks
    3,134
    Thanked 611 Times in 323 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by manoeuver View Post
    Human existence hinges on finding meaning where there is none. Keep up the good work!
    Fun with Apophenia!
    Fortibus es in ero

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Marsilius For This Useful Post:

    manoeuver (August 5th, 2020), Ole Juul (August 4th, 2020)

  9. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Eastern Canada
    Posts
    172
    Thanks
    410
    Thanked 130 Times in 76 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    There is no such thing as an uninteresting natural number:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intere...number_paradox

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Stands on Feet For This Useful Post:

    Marsilius (August 4th, 2020)

  11. #8
    Senior Member Marsilius's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    800
    Thanks
    3,134
    Thanked 611 Times in 323 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    In music circles there is a thing for honoring the birth or death year of a composer. It is useful for marketing, but it still bothers me for a number of reasons: Why is a birthday more important than another day? Sometimes a more famous one gets all the attention? Why not every day, or other years? It is artificial and floods the market with the usual suspects. My favorite anonymous composers get left out of the fun. But I don't get too worked up about it.

    Then there are those folks that need to do things a certain number of times, or even even-up and do them symmetrically with each hand . . . (not saying I have that problem) . . .
    Fortibus es in ero

  12. #9
    Senior Member SchaumburgSwan's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Schaumburg, Northern Germany
    Posts
    394
    Thanks
    266
    Thanked 158 Times in 85 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Hi,

    I'm waiting for the 333333 km to appear in our car... only 800 km to go. :-)

    Best
    Jens
    .................................................. .................................................. .

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/136145166@N02/albums

  13. #10
    Senior Member Ron Z's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Western Pennsylvania
    Posts
    610
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 1,082 Times in 395 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by SchaumburgSwan View Post
    Hi,

    I'm waiting for the 333333 km to appear in our car... only 800 km to go. :-)

    Best
    Jens
    ...and chances are that you will be distracted, or forget to watch, and so will miss it. That's what invariably happens to me.

    Visit Main Street Pens
    A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful pen repair....
    Please contact us by email, and not PM for repair inquiries.

  14. #11
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,907
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    ...and chances are that you will be distracted, or forget to watch, and so will miss it. That's what invariably happens to me.
    Last October, I was prepared for what was coming up on my '07 Volvo wagon. Those are miles.

    IMG_2483.jpeg

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    manoeuver (August 5th, 2020)

  16. #12
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,907
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    ...and chances are that you will be distracted, or forget to watch, and so will miss it. That's what invariably happens to me.
    Last October, I was prepared for what was coming up on my '07 Volvo wagon. Those are miles.

    IMG_2483.jpeg

    And just to keep it pen-related:

    IMG_0405.jpeg

  17. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    Chrissy (August 5th, 2020), CrayonAngelss (August 5th, 2020)

  18. #13
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Dallas, as in the 80's TV Series
    Posts
    3,661
    Thanks
    3,363
    Thanked 6,701 Times in 1,971 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by manoeuver View Post
    Human existence hinges on finding meaning where there is none. Keep up the good work!
    Oh that would be very sad indeed if it were true.

    I believe that it is human's "hunger" for meaning and purpose leads them (us?) to search or attach those to things. Numbers, happen to be one of those things that is convenient and available.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to penwash For This Useful Post:

    manoeuver (August 5th, 2020)

  20. #14
    Senior Member Ole Juul's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Coalmont, BC, Canada
    Posts
    404
    Thanks
    561
    Thanked 400 Times in 208 Posts
    Rep Power
    4

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Marsilius View Post
    Then there are those folks that need to do things a certain number of times, or even even-up and do them symmetrically with each hand . . . (not saying I have that problem) . . .
    Yes, I feel sorry for those that have that problem. I don't have that problem. I enjoy doing it.

    Partly it's a musician's thing. Fitting beats into regular bars and unconsciously marking the 4th and 8th bar. Also, being a jazzer, a little light goes on at 32. (ie. the 4th 8)

  21. #15
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Cullman County, Alabama
    Posts
    96
    Thanks
    54
    Thanked 87 Times in 46 Posts
    Rep Power
    10

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    I just watched a program a couple days ago on Benford's law, which states that within any large group of numbers, no matter what is being measured, numbers starting with the digit 1 will constitute 30%, numbers starting with 2 -- 17%, with 3 -- 12%, and so on in a logarithmic curve. Totally crazy, but it's true, no matter where one looks.

    D
    In my mug: Sailor 21 P-P M, Cross Solo M, Online Calligraphy, Monteverde Invincia F, Hero 359 M, Jinhao X450 M, Levenger T-W M, Jinhao 159 , Platinum Balance F, TWSBI Classic 1.1, Platinum Preppy 0.3 F, 7 Pilot Varsities, Speedball penholder, TWSBI 580 USA EF, Pilot MR, Ahab 1.1, another Preppy 0.3, Preppy EF 0.2, ASA Sniper F, Click Majestic F, Kaweco Sport M, Pilot Prera F, Baoer 79 M, Hero 616 M, Jinhao X750

    31 and counting

    DaveBj

  22. #16
    Senior Member Marsilius's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    800
    Thanks
    3,134
    Thanked 611 Times in 323 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: "Irrational" feelings about numbers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ole Juul View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Marsilius View Post
    Then there are those folks that need to do things a certain number of times, or even even-up and do them symmetrically with each hand . . . (not saying I have that problem) . . .
    Yes, I feel sorry for those that have that problem. I don't have that problem. I enjoy doing it.

    Partly it's a musician's thing. Fitting beats into regular bars and unconsciously marking the 4th and 8th bar. Also, being a jazzer, a little light goes on at 32. (ie. the 4th 8)

    Yes, musicians tend to have it. Music was traditionally referred to as "concordia discors" (order out of chaos) and as "numbers made sound." So I tend to think of music compositions as numbers chosen from random chaos to create patterns, and composers of counterpoint are acting as pattern recognition and creation machines.

    Ole Juul, 64 is a number that occupies some folks studying the music of Johannes Ockeghem . . . perhaps his sections were twice as long . . .
    Fortibus es in ero

  23. The Following User Says Thank You to Marsilius For This Useful Post:

    Ole Juul (August 6th, 2020)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •