There’s Another Way to Count
Addition isn't the only way to count numbers.
Here’s a simple question: what number is halfway between 1 and 9? 4 seems like the obvious choice, but that’s only if you’re using an additive model (1+1+1…). In reality, humans are primed to think multiplicatively (1X2X2…). In this logarithmic model, the answer is 3 because that’s the distance between 1 and 9 by multiplication (1X3=3, 3X3=9). This might sound cumbersome and at odds with our understanding of math but it’s how we intuitively understand the world. If you have an apple, and you’re given another, you’ve doubled your amount, but if you have 10 apples and you’re given another, that same amount has less value to you.
This thinking appears to be hardwired into human beings but is steadily lost as they get older and learn math. An experiment with young children around five years old asked them to point on a line where different numbers would appear—the children allocated greater space to the smaller numbers than the larger, they intuitively understood there’s a greater proportional distance between 1 and 2 than 91 and 92. Another well known study performed a similar experiment on members of the Mundurucu people, an indigenous tribe in Brazil with a simplified numerical system. If the behavior is innate to humans, it would present in members of the Mundurucu.
The Mundurucu people.
In the experiment, 33 Mundurucu across all ages were given the task of assigning a placement of different numbers by clicking on a line segment, with one dot at one end and ten dots at another. The numbers were presented in various forms: number of musical tones, dots, and spoken words in both Mundurucu and Portuguese. Across all forms, the Mundurucu sorted their numbers logarithmically, while a group of Westerners rated them linearly, except when the number was in dot form and greater than 10. At that point, unable to count the dots exactly, logarithmic thinking takes over.
So why is it that humans think this way? It’s likely just a matter of our brain’s structure: the part of the brain that handles counting is next-door-neighbors with the part that processes spatial information. In the real world, additive thinking has its obvious applications, but it’s not how our mind is trained to work. We think in terms of scale, in associated value: if you have no money, one dollar is valuable, if you’re a billionaire, it’s functionally worthless. So next time you have some counting to do, try doing it logarithmically. It might be easier than you think.
Featured Product
Martian Meteorite Pendant
Latest News
-
May 08, 2025 Scientists Find Evidence of a Real-Life Tatooine! Read More -
Apr 27, 2025 Lyndon Johnson: Architect of the U.S. Space Program Read More -
Apr 23, 2025 Can I Lick It? Yes You Can! Read More -
Apr 18, 2025 Scientists Film a Colossal Squid in its Natural Habitat! Read More -
Apr 16, 2025 Is It Legal To Own a Meteorite: How to Start Your Outer Space Collection! Read More -
Apr 16, 2025 Is It Legal To Own a Dinosaur Fossil? How to start your Dinosaur Collection! Read More
Cool Things!
Scientists Find Evidence of a Real-Life Tatooine!
Probably the most recognizable landscape in the Star Wars universe is Tatooine, Luke Skywalker’s desolate home planet where his fate finds him in the form of two crash-landing rebellion droids. Twin suns illuminate the desert wasteland, and in a recent discovery right out of George Lucas’s scripts, scientists believe they have found a planet similar to the one Skywalker begrudgingly calls home.
Lyndon Johnson: Architect of the U.S. Space Program
The Space Race is an era etched in the mythos of the United States. The starting gun, fired October 4th, 1957, as the Soviet Union launched the first-ever artificial satellite into space, was quickly answered by President John F. Kennedy a month later. In a special session of Congress, he set forth the goal of landing a man on the moon before the decade was out. If Kennedy was Jason on this voyage to the stars, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was his Argus, constructing the means of transport long before this challenge was issued and long before his superior’s assassination tumbled the nation into darkness.
Scientists Film a Colossal Squid in its Natural Habitat!
One hundred years after its discovery, scientists have captured the elusive colossal squid on film in its natural habitat. The juvenile squid was found around 2,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean near the South Sandwich Islands. Measuring about one foot long, it drifts through the sea with translucent skin, pearly eyes and colorful tentacles.
Specimen Deep Dives
Returning to the Moon: The Apollo 14 Mission
The Secrets of the Space Shuttle: Learn about Mini Museum's Shuttle Tile Material!
Gondwana: When the Earth Was One
Long Form Articles
Can I Lick It? Yes You Can!
Have you ever been unable to tell if a fossil was really a fossil, but you were too embarrassed to admit it? Have you ever wanted to lick a fossil just because, but you didn’t want to risk judgment from your peers? Well, good news! You can kill two birds with one stone! Licking a fossil can actually help you determine if it’s the real deal or just another rock.
Is It Legal To Own a Meteorite: How to Start Your Outer Space Collection!
Meteorites are some of the rarest geological specimens to be found on Earth. Of course, since these stones are not of our world, purchasing them can sometimes be a confusing process. Is it legal to own a meteorite? In short, yes! Read on for help starting your cosmic collection!
Is It Legal To Own a Dinosaur Fossil? How to start your Dinosaur Collection!
So you want to start fossil collecting!? Amateur paleontology is a fascinating and fun hobby that can even nab you an award! Dinosaur bones are some of the most sought-after specimens in the world, so you may be wondering, is it even legal to own a dinosaur bone? In short, yes! Read on for more help starting your fossil collection!