What’s In A Number? Plenty…

What’s in a number and how do numbers affect our daily lives?

Answer?

Plenty….

Numbers really are an emotional issue – especially when you consider how often we use them. How often do you look at a clock, watch, calculator, or your cell phone?

Doing your taxes? Lots of numbers there.

Did you just tell your grandchildren when to be home?

Yeah….I thought so…

Each of the ten basic numbers 0 through 9, has a personality. Whenever I see the Number 9, I think Channel 9, CBS and our local affiliate back home in Washington, D.C. – WTOP back in the day, now WUSA, which is what it has been for decades.

From a clinical standpoint, numbers are little more than mathematical in scope. We use them to count, measure, label, chart time, and more. Around the world, numbers take on different symbols such as Roman numerals like we were taught in school. Do you know schools are not teaching Roman numerals anymore? It is stunning what schools are not teaching kids today and no one seems to care of see the point in it. It’s right up there with teaching cursive or reading a clock face. School systems don’t see the importance of teaching these time-proven elements.

According to Wikipedia, “The most common numeral system is the “Hindu-Arabic” numeral system, which allows for the representation of any non-negative integer using a combination of ten fundamental numeric symbols, called digits.  In addition to their use in counting and measuring, numerals are often used for labels (as with telephone numbers), for ordering (as with serial numbers), and for codes (as with ISBNs). In common usage, a numeral is not clearly distinguished from the number that it represents.”

Sure…

Here in America and I suspect elsewhere, we attach a lot of emotion to the numbers we use. The number “13” is so significant that most high rise buildings do not have a 13th floor. Seriously! Thirteen is considered an unlucky number. One Million, or 1,000,000, is considered a lot of money. Yet, we can’t seem to comprehend anything beyond One Billion. The United States is in debt for roughly $32 Trillian. Just imagine a credit card bill for that much.

Numbers….math…are an ever-changing subject. We continue to find new ways to calculate using numbers. It is said that back in the 1800s, mathematicians found more and more ways to develop different abstractions in order to share different properties of numbers and are still working this subject. It is all Greek to me because I’ve never been any good at math.