Dozen, hour, minute, week involve quantity. As words they are names. Amounts are names of quantities: words like five, six, or eight. They make it possible to speak of eggs; minutes, seconds or days; and most objects, in terms of how many are present. Number-symbols are short for quantity-name words. An overview table at Sixteen, also located as the first of six pointers in 16_Links, and its components, the last five items found from that place, thoroughly covers the quantity three hands plus one.

The numeric symbol five repeats in the "Figure Five in Gold" painting by Demuth, found in the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art. Inspired by William Carlos Williams' poem The Great Figure, the image of fives and fire engine headlights, assigns power to the vehicle that really belongs to humanity's invention of numbers.

Poem-Inspired Painting

The Great Figure William Carlos Williams Among the rain and lights I saw the figure 5 in gold on a red fire truck moving tense unheeded to gong clangs siren howls and wheels rumbling through the dark city

Five Symbols

This link between words and an image involving numbers is natural. Both are kinds of language, ways to communicate. Languages' kinships are detected by the stability of their words for five, usually a synonym for hand. In the same way that tally marks to represent a five group differently, the Romans used a V-like five (figure above, at the right). [Tallies count successively, | || ||| |||| ... and then |||| with an overlay of a diagonal stroke. For more please click Words and Concepts.]

Numbers lead to power. Ideas like `odd' lead to problem-solving ability. The Apples & Baskets puzzle tests understanding of odd and even , the mathematical form of the idea behind digital computers, "on or off." The next puzzle requires familiarity with numbers on computers.

Example 5. (Merwyn Sommer) Find the number that should follow 24 in:

10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, __?

For a detailed set of related information, please click Help Sequence? For more questions, please click Some Problems.

A student project about Mathematics (four topics; women with math careers) is at Bright Colors. Topics covered are: