As a sports fan,
numbers have always had certain associations for me. For example, Michael
Jordan wore number 23, and Wayne Gretzky wore number 99. These two athletes are
among some of the most influential in all of history, and seeing either of
those numbers instantly makes me think of both Jordan and Gretzky.
We see these kinds
of associations being made in other places too, for example in Chinese culture
the number 4 is considered to be bad luck. The influence of this cultural
belief is so great that there are certain buildings in Vancouver that skip the
number all together, with there being just a 3rd and 5th floor.
Alice Major’s
paper is fascinating, shedding light on the personality of numbers and
associations in other cultures. In the mayan culture, the number 5 means
female. This is something I would introduce to a secondary class, it allows
more context to be provided on numbers in other cultures and societies.
Good, if a bit scattered! It would be nice to see more connections here. Thanks Arvind.
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