Warning - This article is about philosophy ! and life. Hardly about numbers!
Numbers are important.
Numbers are important in life. You may disagree, if you are not commonly use them. However, it is because of numbers that you read this message, and I can write it. It is because of numbers that your room is lit at night, and you are able to travel in a bus to your work. Formulas and functions dominate our 21st century more than ever. More than ever, we are capable of counting uncountables. We have developped methods to compare infinities of infinities. I am sure modern mathematics have much more to evlove and I wonder it will ever merge with philosophy ever. And that would be super interesting time to live, as I am fascinated by both.
But as of today, it's just imagination, and we are only comparing the two subjects only at a basic fundemental level with the wisdom of Charlotte Bronte and her character Jane Eyre.
Some truely important numbers. - list of ten important numbers.
For all those number Geeks. Following is a list of super important numbers. I am sure, if you are into science, you atleast have met a couple of them. Maybe you use them everyday. Just have a glance, and say hi if you know any of them.
Pi (π) ≈ 3.14159
Definition: The ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
Use: Fundamental in geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, especially in calculations involving circles, spheres, and periodic functions.
Euler's Number (e) ≈ 2.718
Definition: The base of the natural logarithm, a mathematical constant that describes exponential growth or decay.
Use: Appears in differential equations, compound interest, and in modeling population growth and radioactive decay.
Golden Ratio (ϕ) ≈ 1.618
Definition: A number such that the ratio of two quantities is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger quantity.
Use: Found in art, architecture, nature, and geometry, often associated with aesthetically pleasing proportions.
Avogadro's Number (NA) ≈ 6.022×10236.022 \times 10^{23}
Definition: The number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance.
Use: Fundamental in chemistry for converting between atomic/molecular scale and macroscopic quantities, especially in stoichiometry and gas laws.
Speed of Light (c) = 299,792,458299,792,458 m/s
Definition: The speed at which light travels in a vacuum.
Use: Central in physics, particularly in relativity, electromagnetism, and cosmology, defining the ultimate speed limit in the universe.
Planck's Constant (h) ≈ 6.626×10−346.626 \times 10^{-34} J·s
Definition: A physical constant that relates the energy of a photon to its frequency.
Use: Fundamental in quantum mechanics, particularly in describing the energy levels of atoms and the behavior of particles at the quantum level.
Gravitational Constant (G) ≈ 6.674×10−116.674 \times 10^{-11} N·m²/kg²
Definition: A constant that appears in Newton's law of universal gravitation, describing the strength of the gravitational force between two objects.
Use: Central in classical mechanics, astrophysics, and cosmology for calculating gravitational forces and the behavior of objects in space.
Boltzmann Constant (k) ≈ 1.381×10−231.381 \times 10^{-23} J/K
Definition: A constant that relates the average kinetic energy of particles in a gas to the temperature of the gas.
Use: Key in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, helping to bridge macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of gases.
Imaginary Unit (i) = √(-1)
Definition: The imaginary unit, defined as the square root of -1.
Use: Essential in complex number theory, electrical engineering (AC circuit analysis), and quantum mechanics, where complex numbers represent quantities like wave functions.
Pythagoras’ Constant (√2) ≈ 1.414
Definition: The square root of 2, the length of the diagonal of a square with sides of length 1.
Use: Found in geometry, particularly in calculating distances in Euclidean space, and in applications involving right triangles.
These constants and numbers have wide-ranging applications in mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, and other scientific disciplines. They form the foundation for many theoretical and practical concepts.
Some other (less?) important numbers.
Well, for ordinary men and women, which includes a cohort of philosphers, there are some numbers which are also important. As an example, when I was driving today, I was looking at the dashbord of my car and happened to notice some numbers! I was looking at the speed, the milage of the car and the level of the fuel. I couldn't help notice the time, from time to time. And that was actually the trigger for this article.
Apart from time and speed I can give you another number which also has a huge impact in your life. Such as the number in your bank in front of your name and account number. I am sure constantly you are looking at this. It doesn't matter you are an investor, or a daily paid worker, bigger this number bigger your happiness would be. I cannot help notice, that even how our behaviour and conduct changes according to number of decimel points in this number. It made me wonder what will happen if the numbers became zero.
A thought experiment on numbers. Jane Eyre wisdom.
I thank the wisdom of Jane Eyre, in that case Charlotte Bronte, for the wisdom that she provided. I can rember in one occasion, when she realised she fell in love with Mr. Rochester, she used a simple tool to attack her ego. She drew, herself and the Blanche Ingram on a canvass, and compared her average presence with the elite beauty of the Ingram girl. I just realised we could do the same with our numbers.
Write down most important numbers of your life on a piece of paper and with your imagination, make them Zero.
Make a zero in front of the days you have to live.
Make a zero in front of your bank account
Make a zero in front of your name, if there are a number of prefixes already there.
Would you do that? Or cowardly back away?
Make a zero in front of your relationships
Make a zero in front of goals you have scored, or medals you have gained.
Make a zero in front of number of words you have written for the day.
Can you do that and still be happy?
If you cannot be happy when you do that, I suggest you are attached too much to those numbers. And boy! it is gonna hurt when you leave those numbers one day. As you already not know, all the numbers are imaginary just like letters of an alphabet. So, sooner you understand nature of the numbers, humble you would become like a bamboo which grows tall. Empty your pocket, in your imagination and be a begger for a one day, and you will release the burden of numbers like you would do on your last day!
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