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petitesouris
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17 Nov 2011, 7:59 pm

I am not sure if all people on the spectrum like prime numbers, yet I have always felt an affinity for them and conjectured that people with asds would appreciate them since they seem to exist in a purely abstract realm and appear to be authentic entities.

I am convinced that even aspergians and nts who dislike math, subconciously find something aesthetically appealing about prime numbers, especially 3, 7 , and to a certain extent, 5. I have always wondered why this is so. Maybe because they are often discovered when measuring nature?



Last edited by petitesouris on 20 Nov 2011, 4:16 pm, edited 8 times in total.

Ganondox
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17 Nov 2011, 8:03 pm

I actually dislike prime numbers aesthetically as you can't make nonlinear rectangles with them. Aesthetically I prefer squares.


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deconstruction
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17 Nov 2011, 8:05 pm

I don't think that many people think about the prime numbers or that they know what they are, but it's worth noting that certain prime numbers are important part of many cultures' folklore and heritage (3, 7, 13...) A coincidence?

As for the NTs, mathematicians and physicists and other scientists think about them and they're not Aspies.

Carl Sagan's "Contact" speaks about this prime number fascination (among other things). I don't know if Sagan was an Aspie, though.



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17 Nov 2011, 8:14 pm

deconstruction wrote:
I don't think that many people think about the prime numbers or that they know what they are, but it's worth noting that certain prime numbers are important part of many cultures' folklore and heritage (3, 7, 13...) A coincidence?

As for the NTs, mathematicians and physicists and other scientists think about them and they're not Aspies.

Carl Sagan's "Contact" speaks about this prime number fascination (among other things). I don't know if Sagan was an Aspie, though.


3 is magic, 7 is lucky, 13 is unlucky... hmmm, let me check something

Usually I'm not into numbers, but they are interesting when they are useful.


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jocli
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17 Nov 2011, 9:11 pm

3, 5, & 13 are also Fibonacci numbers; 7 is prime and is also a Lucas number (2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 11...)


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17 Nov 2011, 9:29 pm

I was never very good at maths beyond basic arithmetic. I could never follow what all those formulas and things meant. I know what prime numbers are but I don't have any special affinity for them.



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17 Nov 2011, 9:31 pm

numbers to me are as distinct as words.
each number is the same of something, that only that number is the name of.

a prime has unique integrity, an atom rather than a compound, a crystal rather than a clump.
or: it's a pure tone, when other numbers are somehow filtered.

it makes me happy when the count of anything turns out to be a prime.

i don't look for them; they're just accidental magic.
it's better if i don't make too big a deal about it.


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dragonbean
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17 Nov 2011, 9:36 pm

I find them fascinating. Have a weird "thing" for numbers in general, really... primes, pi, the number 26 (it's the only one with a perfect square on one side and a perfect cube on the other)



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17 Nov 2011, 9:39 pm

dragonbean wrote:
I find them fascinating. Have a weird "thing" for numbers in general, really... primes, pi, the number 26 (it's the only one with a perfect square on one side and a perfect cube on the other)

What do you mean regarding 26?


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17 Nov 2011, 9:49 pm

People with AS either seem to have a big hard-on for math or seem to be completely averse to it. I'm the latter. I don't even understand what prime number are, and I would get pissed off and punch something if I had to study them for more than five seconds.



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17 Nov 2011, 9:58 pm

Jory wrote:
People with AS either seem to have a big hard-on for math or seem to be completely averse to it. I'm the latter. I don't even understand what prime number are, and I would get pissed off and punch something if I had to study them for more than five seconds.


Prime numbers are those that can be divided only with 1 and themselves.

Sounds pretty unexciting, I know. But once you dig into it, it gets more exciting if you're into the whole math thing.



deconstruction
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17 Nov 2011, 10:01 pm

I mean, they have to have only two divisors: 1 and themselves.

Personally, when it comes to numbers, I'm more interested in Pi.



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17 Nov 2011, 10:14 pm

I am not good at, or interested in more than basic math, but I do have a habit of counting things, and I also do sometimes amuse myself by trying to see how many prime numbers I can find, going in order from lowest to highest. I am not surprised that this is an Aspy trait. I know it is silly, but it doesn't do any harm. I also have a tendency to look for shapes in wall paper and patterned tiles. I think this is also part of my Aspyness. I even look for shapes and patterns in the wall panelling that a previous owner or the manufacturer put over most of the wall surfaces in my trailer. It is not bad looking panelling, but having it on almost every scrap of wall makes the place too dark. Because it is an old trailer, it would not be a good idea to take it down, as who knows what is behind it. That might open a real can of worms. I have considered having thin white paint slapped onto some of it to brighten things up some. I would want to use that thin type of paint that lets the "grain" of the panelling show through. That would be nice. Maybe in a couple of years. Next year I want to have the windows replaced, and that may be a problem, because the inside frames and ledges are shot. Well, that's my problem.

Keep on having fun with numbers and patterns, and remember, we on the spectrum are all:

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NZaspiegirl016
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17 Nov 2011, 10:42 pm

Myself, I'm not into prime numbers like that. I prefer palindromes. But some Aspies are into prime numbers. Like Gabrielle on Shortland Street, for example. She thinks prime numbers are interesting. :)


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17 Nov 2011, 10:44 pm

Ganondox wrote:
What do you mean regarding 26?


5 squared is 25, and 3 cubed is 27. 26 is right in between them and it's the only number with that property.



petitesouris
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17 Nov 2011, 11:09 pm

deconstruction wrote:
I don't think that many people think about the prime numbers or that they know what they are, but it's worth noting that certain prime numbers are important part of many cultures' folklore and heritage (3, 7, 13...) A coincidence?


I noticed this too. Using prime numbers, the building blocks of measured quantity, to quantify objects, people, and ideas most likely highlights their importance and precedence. Something about prime numbers shows a sort of neatness and order. In fact, even the most uninteresting things, like lists that I make, consist of prime numbers like 5 or 7. Quantities described as these numbers are more remerable.