A numerus (literally: "number"i) was the term used for a unit of the Roman army
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_army .. In the Imperial Roman army
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Roman_army (30 BC – 284 AD), it referred
to units of barbarian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian allies who were
not integrated into the regular army structure of legions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_legion and auxilia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliaries_(Roman_military) .
I'm inclined to think that numbers - for there obiectivity - need a good
"counter" (somebody or somethink).
'I raised just this objection with the (extreme) ultrafinitist Yessenin Volpin
during a lecture of his. He asked me to be more specific. I then proceeded to
start with 2^1 and asked him whether this is "real" or something to that
effect. He virtually immediately said yes. Then I asked about 2^2, and he again
said yes, but with a perceptible delay. Then 2^3, and yes, but with more delay.
This continued for a couple of more times, till it was obvious how he was
handling this objection. Sure, he was prepared to always answer yes, but he was
going to take 2^100 times as long to answer yes to 2^100 then he would to
answering 2^1. There is no way that I could get very far with this.' -Harvey M.
Friedman
Dunno if in each every part of this universe there is a good "counter". Maybe
universe itself, as a whole, is a "counter"?.
'Paper in white the floor of the room, and rule it off in one-foot squares.
Down on one's hands and knees, write in the first square a set of equations
conceived as able to govern the physics of the universe. Think more overnight.
Next day put a better set of equations into square two. Invite one's most
respected colleagues to contribute to other squares. At the end of these
labors, one has worked oneself out into the doorway. Stand up, look back on all
those equations, some perhaps more hopeful than others, raise one's finger
commandingly, and give the order "Fly!" Not one of those equations will put on
wings, take off, or fly. Yet the universe "flies".(Wheeler on page 1208 of
Gravitation)
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