“How to Order a Beer—Cultural Differences in the Use of Conventional Gestures for Numbers,” is one of several studies featured in the article “Numbers Research — research some people think they can count on,” which is one of the articles in the special Numbers issue of the Annals of Improbable Research, which is one of […]
Tag: numbers
Renewed Interest in Octonions
“There are exactly four normed division algebras: the real numbers (R), complex numbers (C), quaternions (H), and octonions (O). The real numbers are the dependable breadwinner of the family, the complete ordered field we all rely on. The complex numbers are a slightly flashier but still respectable younger brother: not ordered, but algebraically complete. The […]
Umpteen reflections on Indefinite Hyperbolic Numerals
With apologies to our readers who might already know, Indefinite Hyperbolic Numerals* (IHNs) are words like zillion, jillion, and umpteen. Or, to be exact : “Indefinite hyperbolic numerals (IHN) are words that (1) resemble numerals morphologically, and (2) act as numerals morphosyntactically within numeral phrases, yet (3) whose direct numerical referent remains indefinite.” For an […]
Round numbers, sharp numbers, and their perceived credibility
If someone told you that a soap was “99.44% pure” would you be more likely to believe their claim than if they rounded the number to “99% pure”? A 2006 paper in the journal Advances in Consumer Research authored by professors Robert M. Schindler (Rutgers University-Camden) and Richard F. Yalch (University of Washington) entitled: ‘It […]