Seeing numbers as having characteristics

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Hovis: I do something like that too! (And I wasn´t the one other person on WP who does that, as I never knew anyone else did that). I use those points to add up numbers, because I´m not very mathematically oriented; I think I have discalculia. (sp.?) What I do is I write the numbers, then tap them along those points with my pen so I can add them up. I do this mostly when I have to add up long strings of numbers.

Except, my 7 is different from yours; I tap 3 points along the top, then 4 points in a zigzag, not on but around the stem, alternating with each point. I just have to do the 4 in that zigzag pattern. (Same thing with 8, 2 zigzag-diamonds around the circles- maybe that was what you meant too, I wasn´t sure). For me, 4 is always a zigzag pattern.

Morgana, this is it, exactly! I wish I could remember the name of the other WP poster who does the same thing.



I definitely go round the circle with 8, rather than do a zigzag. But this is still quite amazing! I've been stunned by how many things that I thought were simply personal quirks are mirrored exactly by posters here.

The psychologist who diagnosed me, after I mentioned it to him, described it in his report as handling numbers visually rather than symbolically, and I really cannot do any mental calculations without either counting around the number with the pen on paper, picturing the number in the air in front of me and doing the same with my finger, or counting on my fingers.

Yes, me too! I guess I´m not quite as "original" as I once thought....

With my 8, I think of it like 2 fours; so since the 4 pattern is to tap along the 4 points- for me, I do it like a diamond- I do the same thing with the 8, making 2 diamonds along the 2 circles. I´m not sure if I´m explaining it well....

I used to be fascinated by binary numbers when I was younger. Strangely hate using binary nowadays though.