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Numbers dictate our lives.
Whether it’s money, our weight, or the amount of stars in the galaxy, almost anything can
be measured and defined by numbers.
With the human mind’s natural inclination for curiosity, humanity’s earliest record
of counting traces back to over 50,000 years ago.
From ancient tally methods, numbers continue to guide our lives in ways you might not even
think of.
For one, most technology operates in numeric codes and algorithms - including your phones
and computers.
Certain numbers have also held different meanings throughout cultures.
Although you deal with them every day, you might be surprised by how little you actually
know about numbers.
Watch on and see for yourself.
Different cultures discovered the concept of zero at different times.
It is generally accepted that the Indian astronomer and mathematician Brahmagupta first discussed
the concept of zero around 600 A.D.
A hundred doesn’t actually mean 100.
The word “hundred” is derived from the Old Norse word hundrath, which actually means
120 instead of 100.
Only one number is spelled with the same amount of letters as its value.
The number 4 has four letters, too.
It’s the only number that has this trait.
The earliest form of numbers were tally marks found on prehistoric bones and artifacts.
The tally system was first observed in the Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations of Mesopotamia
and Egypt.
Numerals vary with each language.
By definition, numbers are arithmetic objects used to count and measure.
Meanwhile, numerals are the symbols that represent numbers.
The numerals we use now are called “Hindu-Arabic” numbers.
The Hindu-Arabic number system originated from 6th to 7th century India.
Zero is the only number without a roman numeral.
The first use of the zero symbols first appeared between 900 and 800 B.C.
People believe that aliens are trying to reach us through prime numbers.
In his 1985 book Contact, Carl Sagan claimed that aliens are trying to communicate with
humans through using prime numbers as signals.
A prime number is any number that can be divided only by itself and by 1.
For example, 17 only has (17 x 1) as its factors.
As such, 17 is a prime number.
There is an organization dedicated to finding the largest prime numbers.
The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Number Search (GIMPS) was founded in 1996 by George Woltman.
Since its establishment, GIMPS has found 51 of the newest and largest prime numbers.
The current holder for largest prime number was also discovered by GIMPS.
The largest prime number found so far has 24,862,048 digits.
The largest prime number currently known is 2 to the power of 82,589,933 - 1.
It was discovered in December 7, 2018 through a supercomputer volunteered by Patrick Laroche.
The number is known as M82589933.
To get this value, the computer added together over 82 million (82,589,933) twos, then subtracting 1.
2 is the only even prime number.
2 is considered a prime number because it is only divisible by 2 (itself) and 1.
All other even numbers are divisible by 2, which makes 2 the only even prime number.
2 is also the smallest prime number.
A rubik’s cube has 43 quintillion different permutations.
Permutations are the different ways that a set can be arranged.
For a 3×3 Rubik’s cube, there are over 43 quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000)
possible combinations.
However, each one can be solved in 20 moves or less, according to Google’s supercomputers.
Voltaire cracked the lottery system in 18th Century France.
Voltaire’s lottery heist is definitely one for the number facts Hall of Fame.
As one of the most prolific writers of the Enlightenment, Voltaire is iconic for his
not-so-illegal lottery heist in 18th century France.
By rigging the lottery, Voltaire earned the current day equivalent of $121 million USD.
Now, how exactly did he do it?
He and mathematician Charles Marie de la Condamine discovered that the lottery system allowed
a way for small bond-holders to buy enough tickets for a sure win.
From there, Voltaire and de la Condamine devised a plan to exploit the system without technically
breaking the law.
Voltaire used his winnings to fund businesses and his studies.
The only prime numbers ending with “2” or “5” are the numbers two and five themselves.
All other numbers ending in 2 or 5 are composite numbers.
You can try it out for yourself.
Traditionally, Italians view 17 as an unlucky number.
Italian superstition warns against Friday the 17th because the Roman numeral “XVII”
can be rearranged to create the word “VIXI” which means, “My life is over” in Latin.
The fastest record for a person counting to 1 million is 89 days.
Jeremy Harper of Alabama holds the Guinness World Record for counting to one million.
He live-streamed the entire process that took him 89 days.
He spent 16 hours per day counting aloud, setting aside 8 hours for eating and sleeping.
If you multiply a single-digit number by 9 and add all the digits of the product, the
sum will always be 9.
For example: 2 x 9 is equal to 18.
If you add the digits, 1 + 8 is equal to 9.
Similarly, 6 x 9 is equal to 54.
Adding the digits, 5 + 4 will also give you the number 9.
The same rule applies to all single-digit multiples of 9.
7 is the most loved number.
In a study conducted by mathematics author Alex Bellos, 10% of respondents chose the
“Lucky 7” as their favorite number.
The number 7 has been used in imagery throughout the Bible, and the Triple 7 also indicates
the winning match in slot machines.
According to Bellos, 7’s “uniqueness” is why it’s so loved.
Of all the numbers from 1-10 group, 7 is the only number that can’t be divided or doubled.
The encryption system combines simple, known facts about numbers to secure the transfer
of information—such as credit card numbers—online.
The encryption algorithm is based on two large prime numbers.
Prime factorization can be extremely hard with bigger values - so the unique factors
of two large primes are pretty hard to crack - which helps protect users’ data.
The Sieve of Erastothenes was the earliest method of finding prime numbers.
In 200 BC, the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes created an algorithm for calculating primes
called the Sieve of Eratosthenes.
It also gave humans the earliest list of prime numbers.
Bees can count.
Studies show that bees can identify and count up to four and recognize the concept of zero.
From an experiment, bees were trained to choose which sample has “more” or “less” amounts.
Eventually, they exhibited an 80% success rate.
Thai people laugh in numbers.
Well, a number.
In the Thai language, the word for 5 is ha, which explains all the 555’s.
If you shuffle a pack of cards right, there’s a chance the order has never been done before
in the history of the universe.
As with Rubik’s cube permutations, the amount of possible combinations in a deck of cards
is so varied that you could be making history with each shuffle.
People view odd numbers as male and even numbers as female.
According to a study, people often interpreted baby pictures as male or female depending
on numbers placed next to it.
Maps have four colors.
According to the four-color theorem, any map must have four colors so that regions sharing
a boundary won’t have the same color.
You can get the nearest map to check.
A room full of 70 people would most probably have two people who share a birthday.
In a room full of 70 people, there’s already a 99.9% chance that two people share a birthday.
The word ‘love’ in tennis means a score of zero.
Some point the term’s origins to the gambling expression ‘love or money,’ which alludes
to playing a game for stakes, or nothing.
Meanwhile, others claim that it originates from the French word l’oeuf meaning ‘egg’
and an egg looks like a zero.
4 is an unlucky number in East Asia.
You won’t find much love for four-leafed clovers in Asia.
The word for 4 in many Asian languages sound like the word for “death,” which is why
the number is generally seen as a bad omen.
In more extreme cases, tetraphobia is the fear of the number four.
Love them or hate them, you can’t escape numbers.
Despite what we already understand about them, numbers still hold many undiscovered properties
and possibilities.
Although we might get caught up in measuring our lives, we only ever get one.
The most important value is to make that one life count.
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