On categories of things.

[melannen]

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 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?)

Comments

[kaz]

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!

[melannen]

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]

What, you don't consistently give out 1729 anytime someone asks for a random number?

[melannen]

I know better than to use a commonly-known, popular number like that!