899: Number Line

2013-08-07T01:39:40Z

TychaBrahe: Changed "President's Day" to "Presidents' Day." Added map joke info to "Battle of 4.108." ~~~~

{{comic
| number = 899
| date = May 16, 2011
| title = Number Line
| image = number line.png
| titletext = The Wikipedia page "{{w|List of Numbers}}" opens with "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it."
}}

== Explanation ==
{{incomplete}}
*Negative numbers have the same magnitude as positive numbers but can only be used to represent the removal of that same magnitude (hence the term "difference" being used for subtraction).

*'''0.<span style="text-decoration: overline;">99</span>'''.... is {{w|0.999...|provably equal to 1}} because there is no number between 0.<span style="text-decoration: overline;">99</span>.... and 1. ([http://www.exploringbinary.com/binary-converter/ Binary 0.0000000000000000000000000001 = 0.0000000037252902984619140625])

*The {{w|Golden ratio}} is the length to width of rectangles that are most pleasing to the eye. The number which is about 1.61803, is the numeric value is called "phi", named for the Greek sculptor Phidias. The {{w|Parthenon}} is a perfect rectangle in size. The number of spirals on the head of [http://www.popmath.org.uk/rpamaths/rpampages/sunflower.html Sunflowers] are also said to exhibit the Golden mean/ratio.

*Forbidden Region and Unexplored are both map jokes.

*{{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}}(Euler's number) is 2.71828... and π(pi) is 3.14159265...

*2.9299372 is a President's Day reference. It is the average of e and pi just as the American Presidents' Day is always observed on the 3rd Monday of February (between {{w|George Washington}} and {{w|Abraham Lincoln}}'s birthdays). (For non-US residents, Washington and Lincoln were the 1st and 16th Presidents of the USA, respectively. Both have a celebrated place in American history.)

*{{w|Gird}} Could be a reference to [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001120/secret_number.shtml Bleem] - a fictional integer between 3 and 4, also see [http://icarly.wikia.com/wiki/Derf iCarly's Derf] - a fictional integer between 5 and 6, [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bleen George Carlin's Bleen] - a fictional integer between 6 and 7, and [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-033 SCP-033] - a fictional number that causes freaky things to happen.

*Site of the Battle of 4.108 is another map joke, implying that 4.108 is an actual location, where an eponymous battle was previously fought.

*It is often the case in the media that "It has been 7 years..." or "In the last 7 years..." etc. It is made to seem like a believable statistic but cannot always be true. Alternatively, it is intended as an absurd joke that the number 7 is just "not to be believed".

*8 is not the largest even prime. 2 is. A joke intended for those who clearly know that the claim is false.

*The last entry seems to be a reference to {{w|discrete mathematics}}, which rarely deals with numbers higher than 9. It finishes off the tone of the comic that seems to be shaping the number line terms of what is commonly useful to certain areas of applied mathematics, rather than a complete, accurate version of the number line.

== Transcript ==
:[Number line ranging from -1 to 10.]
:[Arrow pointing left, towards negative numbers] Negative "imitator" numbers (do not use)
:[Line right before the number one] 0.99... (acutally 0.0000000372 less than 1)
:[Line at the golden ratio.] Φ - Parthenon; sunflowers; golden ratio; wait, come back, I have facts!
:[Line at a region between two and 2.2] forbidden region
:[Line at Euler's number.] e
:[Line a bit before 3] 2.9299372 (e and pi, observed)
:[Line at π.] π
:[Line at 3.5 with a ribbon as the numeral] Gird - accepted as canon by orthodox mathematicians
:[Line a bit after 4.] site of battle of 4.108
:[Blob between 4.5 and 6.5 labeled unexplored.]
:[Line at seven.] Number indicating a factoid is made up ("every 7 years...", "science says there are 7...", etc)
:[Line at eight.] Largest even prime
:[Line at 8.75.] If you encounter a number higher than this, you"re not doing real math

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

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899: Number Line