Question

What is a number

Answer 1

A number is a number.

Answer 2

#

Answer 3

A numeral or group of numerals.
The sum, total, count, or aggregate of a collection of units.

Answer 4

123467890 is the numbers

Answer 5

It is something that is used for counting ...

Answer 6

A number is a symbol.

Answer 7

A number is a concept from mathematics, used to count or measure.

Answer 8

its the alphabet of a language .
+1 @glgan1

Answer 9

Depending on who you believe, it's a set (and so is everything else)

Answer 10

Guys, a simple but mathematical explanation

Answer 11

Natural numbers are the numbers which we normally use for counting, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Answer 12

What I said.
A numeral or group of numerals.
The sum, total, count, or aggregate of a collection of units.

Answer 13

Is sqrt 2 a number?

Answer 14

google over or go for wikipedia for orthodox results..

Answer 15

Ok. a number is a measure of quantity

Answer 16

"Ok. a number is a measure of quantity"

So 2 is a measure of 2?

Answer 17

Yes, a "simple" as that

Answer 18

That isn't simple, it is circular and doesn't mean anything...

Answer 19

How is my definition wrong

Answer 20

It is the same as saying 2=2 which is not wrong, just devoid of meaning.

Answer 21

That's an improvement....what is "arithmetical"?

Answer 22

Now you have gone all circular as well...:-)

Answer 23

Give us your definition then

Answer 24

I already said, if you don't want to take the "naturals" as given, then you canuse a set theoretical construction of number, starting withy the empty set.

Answer 25

I don't understand you

Answer 26

Assuming you want a "mathematical" definition of number, then you need to find a way to use set theory to do it because that is the currently accepted foundation for mathematics.

Answer 27

I just wanted to know what is a number according to you guys that all

Answer 28

Mathematically, it is a set.

Answer 29

"properties of the natural and real numbers can be derived within set theory, as each number system can be identified with a set of equivalence classes under a suitable equivalence relation whose field is some infinite set"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_theory#Axiomatic_set_theory

Answer 30

oh, that a pretty interesting definition. Thanks

Answer 31

Normally, for day to day mathematics, you don't really need this.
Another way is just to take the naturals (beginning with 0 or 1 according to taste) as being somehow "God given" and then get everything else from those.

Answer 32

Ok. thanks everyone!

Answer 33

This is really almost an epistemology question more than a mathematical one. Mathematics solves problems based on the foreknowledge of numbers and counting. At least for the common man, knowledge of numbers is axiomatic, it is understood knowledge that other knowledge can be derived from.

Answer 34

an arithmetical value, expressed by a word, symbol, or figure, representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations and for showing order in a series or for identification

Answer 35

A number is a measurement without units

Answer 36

Oh, not what do you mean?

Answer 37

Numbers come from measurements,
i.e. from the comparison of a selection of reality with a scale or rule,
where the selection is best represented on the scale, is designated a number, to distinguish it from another place on the scale

Answer 38

Yes, I like that word "comparison"

Answer 39

i really like this question

Answer 40

would numbers mean anything at all if well didn't use the same scales?

Answer 41

A number shows the amount of something and was created to show how much something was.

Answer 42

For instance, many thousand years ago people had animals, and then they suddenly wanted to count them, so they created the first numbers, just some line that show the amount

Answer 43

There would be trouble in this world without "comparison"

Answer 44

The truth is, numbers, just like words, are defined arbitrarily, but are useful for human communication of ideas that are inherent in reality.

Answer 45

truth is a binary measurement ,
requiring a measurer , such as a person

Answer 46

0=False
1=True,
are these arbitrary, @SmoothMath

Answer 47

Yes.

Answer 48

i think so too