Numbers with Personality

 I found this reading absolutely captivating! I've been interested in synesthesia for some time as a phenomenon, but not so much so that I have done a lot of research on it. I had never considered applying it in the context of numbers, only in its more common variations like sight/sound. Major's descriptions, both of the Mayan head numbers and the study in which participants assigned characteristics, rang very true to me. I absolutely believe that numbers have personalities, at least in the way in which I relate to them. I also believe, connecting to the taxicab story, that the more you work with and understand a number, the better you grasp its personality. For example, few people would have been able to recognize the fact that 1729 is unique because of the reason that Ramanujan gave. Even simpler properties like being a triangular number are unknown to many people, or perhaps being part of the Fibonacci sequence. 

On way in which I most strongly relate to the personalities of numbers is through story. Numbers, as Major mentioned, hold narrative significance in many cultures. As someone who was fascinated by myth at an early age, I still hold a very strong association with numbers that are considered magical, numbers like 3, 7, 13. Contrary to the study which found that numbers ending in the digit seven are the 'least good,' I personally find them the most interesting because of their association with magic and divinity in some cultures. 

In terms of introducing this to high school students, I think it would be very interesting to explore how they engage with numbers. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that the personality of numbers emerges in interaction with them, so I would be particularly curious to see how their view of numbers changes over the course of a semester or a year. I think that approaching the personalities of numbers in a classroom would probably confuse/alienate students to begin with but if it was done consistently and with passion, they would begin to understand and engage. This is something I have personally experienced in presenting problems as "beautiful" or "elegant." Students resist at first but will eventually allow themselves to interact on a level beyond calculation.

Comments

  1. Susan GerofskyJanuary 20, 2021 at 7:00 PM

    Very interesting! I find synaesthesia fascinating too (probably because I am somewhat synaesthetic). The association of numbers with stories in different cultures is worth learning about.

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