Whether you are willing to descend to the small yet profound subject of mathematics or not, it has once been integrated into people's daily lives in ways that you might not even notice. When you marvel at the beauty of an object, it might just be the beauty of mathematics. Below are five numbers/mathematical concepts closely tied to our everyday lives:
1. **Dunbar’s Number** — 150
Proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, this number suggests that human intelligence allows us to maintain stable social networks with approximately 148 people (rounded to 150). This tells us that as your social circle expands, the maximum number of friends you can truly remember is around 150. Don’t feel sad; don’t blame yourself for forgetting old friends. Our brains simply have limited storage capacity.
2. **Golden Ratio** — 1.618
Discovered first by the Greeks, this number is one of the most ubiquitous mathematical constants in the universe. Humans have applied it to fashion design, furniture design, art, and economics. It also appears in human anatomy, nature, and even the structure of galaxies.
3. **The Secret to Success** — 10,000 Hours
Simply put, if you want to excel in a particular field, spend 10,000 hours on it, and you will surely become an expert. This isn’t advice from success gurus but a discovery made by scientists. Recent studies show that whether it’s The Beatles, Steve Jobs, or even legends like Thomas Edison (the man who ground iron rods into needles), all spent countless hours mastering their crafts. Before achieving fame, The Beatles played in a club in Germany for several years, performing 12 hours a day. Even Bill Gates started programming in high school, accumulating over 10,000 hours of coding. And Steve Jobs? Well, he was known for his relentless dedication.
4. **Seven** — 7
This number is also related to the brain. Renowned psychologist George Miller discovered through research that both short-term and long-term memory are closely tied to the number 7. Specifically, people can generally remember no more than 7 items at a time. For instance, if someone tells you 10 names and asks you to write them down after some time, you’ll likely only recall about 7. This conclusion comes from numerous experiments, with an error margin of no more than 2. If you think this applies only to short-term memory, consider this: Scientists have found that if something is mentioned 7 times, it tends to stick in your mind permanently. Interestingly, economic studies suggest that products priced with a leading digit of 7 sell better than those with a leading digit of 9 because a price of 2.97 looks more like 1.99.
5. **Zero** — 0
Today, zero seems commonplace, but it took humanity millions of years to conceptualize it. This is a milestone in the history of mathematics. Looking back, zero is not just a mathematical achievement but also a symbol of modern culture. Why? Alone, it represents nothing, but when combined with other numbers, it can represent infinity. In positional numeral systems, the role of zero is far more advanced than Roman numerals.
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