Talk:Numeral
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Numeral
[edit]Numeral -- User:122.161.78.11, on 17:55, 11 May 2008
Are there any ‘Poly-Semantic’ Numerals? (A.N.P 2012)
Regarding systems of numerals, there is a specific topic I have yet to encounter any discourse. I was wondering about how much information could be gleamed about the nature and of properties of a number from the way it is written. In the same way, that when we see a number, we can instantly read it; we can name it and get a sense of its size. I am curious if so much more information could be transferred to a person, calculation being so much quicker, simply by information being carried in the numeral, a hypothetical numeral, itself.
What I am wondering is – Are there any ‘poly-semantic’ numeral systems? Numeral systems that use base ten are easy to multiply and divide by ten due the way the numbers are written.
“Put an extra zero on the end” is a phrase I have often heard
What if so much more math could be that simple?
Are there any number systems, where due to the nature of their expression, a very considerable number of complex calculations can be done by reading the number in a different way; e.g. being able to see all the factors of any number below a thousand just by reading the number in different ways; a numeral system where more information is carried in the numeral?
I am not an expert on the deeper structures of math; it is, however, apparent to me that the nature of a number and the respective relevance of every number to ever other would allow a better way of doing maths simply by using a better numeral system. I might be wrong about the potential increases in ease of calculation by increasing the ‘grammar’ of expression; I wish to know if and if then where has the idea been discussed before and why was it accepted or rejected. If anyone has information I would be most grateful. It is a critical analysis of the idea of a ‘poly-semantic’ numeral system that I have been seeking.
I feel it is recommended that a simple addition to the numeral article is a mention of what is feasible in the design of a numeral system, - what work has been undertaken to assess what criteria new systems would have to meet and what work has already been done in this area. Regarding mathematical functions, I was also wondering if there is a critical analysis of the fluency of mathematical expression; I am trying to figure out how it is that humanity, a species incredibly good at math, has so many members that are terrified of it. This is my first ever posting.
ANP - UK