melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)
melannen ([personal profile] melannen) wrote2010-12-01 09:20 pm
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On categories of things.

I've been messing around on LT a bit - I did some things I'd been putting off, and rewarded myself with some book cataloging (is a book on saints' cults in medieval Christendom religion, mythology, folklore, history, or magic? And how does that have to affect where I put similar books that aren't Christian-flavored? Arggh.) And alongside the usual grey areas of cataloging, I ended up wading into an argument on how we should list gender in the drop-down on the crowdsourced author pages for trans authors. (I don't have all the answers, but at this point I'm at least confident to know when I can say: No, sir, you are wrong.)

Anyway. Right now I'm sick of all this categorizing of things that cannot be categorized. You know what is much nicer? Numbers! And [personal profile] espreite just posted a v. v. serious entry about privilege and oppression among numbers. So I have made a poll!

...yes, these are all real mathematical concepts of the form "the category of ---- numbers". You can look them up if you don't believe me! Or you can just go by the closest meaning you know in standard English. ;)

Poll #5244 Which numbers describe your identities most accurately?
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

View Respondents

My identity is:

View Answers

Natural
6 (30.0%)

Integral
4 (20.0%)

Rational
8 (40.0%)

Irrational
5 (25.0%)

Real
9 (45.0%)

Imaginary
7 (35.0%)

Complex
10 (50.0%)

Binary
2 (10.0%)

Decimal
0 (0.0%)

Roman
0 (0.0%)

Fractional
2 (10.0%)

Scientific
6 (30.0%)

Positive
5 (25.0%)

Negative
3 (15.0%)

Unsigned
2 (10.0%)

Odd
9 (45.0%)

Even
4 (20.0%)

Prime
4 (20.0%)

Composite
4 (20.0%)

Square
1 (5.0%)

Constant
2 (10.0%)

Transcendental
1 (5.0%)

Algebraic
2 (10.0%)

Figurate
0 (0.0%)

Non-zero
3 (15.0%)

Infinite
3 (15.0%)

Transinfinite
1 (5.0%)

Infinitesimal
2 (10.0%)

Hyperreal
2 (10.0%)

Surreal
3 (15.0%)

Automorphic
1 (5.0%)

Countable
2 (10.0%)

Uncountable
3 (15.0%)

Definable
1 (5.0%)

Indefinite
2 (10.0%)

Abstract
3 (15.0%)

Hypercomplex
1 (5.0%)

Large
0 (0.0%)

Fictitious
4 (20.0%)

Fuzzy
8 (40.0%)

Denominate
0 (0.0%)

Ideal
0 (0.0%)

Illegal
2 (10.0%)

Discrete
3 (15.0%)

Round
3 (15.0%)

Surcomplex
0 (0.0%)

Polygonal
0 (0.0%)

Rough
0 (0.0%)

Regular
1 (5.0%)

Amicable
6 (30.0%)

Deficient
1 (5.0%)

Extravagant
2 (10.0%)

Fortunate
3 (15.0%)

Friendly
4 (20.0%)

Frugal
4 (20.0%)

Bicomplex
3 (15.0%)

Smooth
0 (0.0%)

Lucky
1 (5.0%)

Narcissistic
1 (5.0%)

Polite
6 (30.0%)

Practical
3 (15.0%)

Quasiperfect
0 (0.0%)

Semiperfect
2 (10.0%)

Superperfect
0 (0.0%)

Hyperperfect
0 (0.0%)

Perfect
0 (0.0%)

Almost perfect
2 (10.0%)

Unusual
8 (40.0%)

Weird
11 (55.0%)

Happy
5 (25.0%)

Sad
4 (20.0%)

Powerful
2 (10.0%)

Normal
2 (10.0%)

Heteromecic
2 (10.0%)

Self
7 (35.0%)

Intersection
3 (15.0%)

Dual
2 (10.0%)

Whole
2 (10.0%)

Primeval
1 (5.0%)

Untouchable
2 (10.0%)

Parasitic
0 (0.0%)

Palindromic
1 (5.0%)

Cyclic
3 (15.0%)

Pandigital
0 (0.0%)

Multicomplex
1 (5.0%)

Computable
0 (0.0%)

Congruent
3 (15.0%)

Polydivisible
3 (15.0%)

Vampire
2 (10.0%)

Split-complex
1 (5.0%)

Amenable
1 (5.0%)

Interesting
10 (50.0%)

Chromatic
3 (15.0%)

Superparticular
1 (5.0%)

Sublime
2 (10.0%)

Nope, you left one out, I need a text box.

View Answers


(Really. If numbers are that complicated, do the rest of us have any hope?)
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sophia_sol: Geoffrey with his head resting on a podium, with text saying "headdesk" (S&A: Geoffrey: *headdesk*)

[personal profile] sophia_sol 2010-12-02 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
...And now I feel like I need to go google every single one of the names on this list, so that I'm ~accurate~ in my numerical self-identification, instead of just going for the ones with names that sound cool. (Probably this says something about me.) BUT I AM NOT GOING TO. I DO NOT HAVE TIME.
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
Don't bother, unless you are a graduate in advanced set theory it probably won't help much. :D Go with your feelings, young padawan!
Edited 2010-12-02 02:48 (UTC)
sophia_sol: photo of a 19th century ivory carving of a fat bird (Default)

[personal profile] sophia_sol 2010-12-02 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
This is what I have done! Because I am capable of overcoming my irrational impulses!

Also, it is HILARIOUS, some of the names on that list. I had no idea numbers could be frugal, for instance, or narcissistic, or illegal....
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
Mathematicians spend even more time high than quantum physicists, clearly. (High on higher math, I mean, obvs.)
sophia_sol: photo of a 19th century ivory carving of a fat bird (Default)

[personal profile] sophia_sol 2010-12-02 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
*laughs* When science starts to get to higher levels than you ever hear about in high school (or undergrad), it gets seriously trippy, and I love it. Even if I don't understand a bit of it. It just makes me happy that there is that much room for strangeness and whimsy in what's characterized as such ordered and rational fields.
kaz: "Kaz" written in cursive with a white quill that is dissolving into (badly drawn in Photoshop) butterflies. (Default)

[personal profile] kaz 2010-12-02 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
There is a conjecture called the Moonshine Conjecture, which I have ALWAYS interpreted as "this is what we were drinking when we came up with it".
seekingferret: Two warning signs one above the other. 1) Falling Rocks. 2) Falling Rocs. (Default)

[personal profile] seekingferret 2010-12-02 01:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting Numbers have always been my favorite. Even if you don't look up the whole list (and you'll find some other great ones if you do), look up Interesting Numbers. It will make you laugh, I promise.
sophia_sol: photo of a 19th century ivory carving of a fat bird (Default)

[personal profile] sophia_sol 2010-12-02 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
You are absolutely right; I laughed. That is AWESOME.
willwrite_fortea: (Default)

[personal profile] willwrite_fortea 2010-12-02 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
are you secretly trying to get me to switch majors? Math and Science sound FASCINATING /Spock impersonation

but really I have no idea what to pick.. wait there are VAMPIRE numbers? O_o
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
Yep, vampire numbers! I am waiting expectantly to see who picks that one. :D

...I think I first encountered vampire numbers in an SGA fanfic actually, although I was a Clifford A. Pickover fan way back.
sara: S (Default)

[personal profile] sara 2010-12-02 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
I've always been quite sure that even numbers are better than odd ones. No, I have no idea, sometimes one just makes up one's mind about things when one is six and that is how they are.

Also 8 is the best number. Because it is evenly divisible both mathematically and visually. It's like the most even of the even numbers.
isis: (geeky)

[personal profile] isis 2010-12-02 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
\o/

8 is the BEST number EVER and that is why.
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Even numbers are more comforting and nice, but odd numbers are more exciting!

And I like 22 better than 8. :P
kaz: "Kaz" written in cursive with a white quill that is dissolving into (badly drawn in Photoshop) butterflies. (Default)

[personal profile] kaz 2010-12-02 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
w00t!

I... don't know what all of these things mean. (Vampire? Really? Vampire?) and others I only know in terms of non-numbery things (e.g. amenable groups, which is a horrible pun now codified in terminology - amenable groups are ones that admit a mean). But. Isn't mathematical terminology fun? :D

ETA: You forgot taxicab!
Edited 2010-12-02 15:35 (UTC)
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know what half of them mean either - this is partly the result of a wikipedia search on 'intitle:number "in mathematics"'.

....I must have skipped over taxicab number assuming it couldn't possibly really refer to a math concept. O.o Oh, jargon. That pun is terrible.

...I get the impression vampire numbers are mostly a curiosity with no particular use.
seekingferret: Two warning signs one above the other. 1) Falling Rocks. 2) Falling Rocs. (Default)

[personal profile] seekingferret 2010-12-02 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
What, you don't consistently give out 1729 anytime someone asks for a random number?
melannen: Commander Valentine of Alpha Squad Seven, a red-haired female Nick Fury in space, smoking contemplatively (Default)

[personal profile] melannen 2010-12-02 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
I know better than to use a commonly-known, popular number like that!
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