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13 May 09

Number is Different from Quantity, batesnumber

"Numbers are the product of counting. Quantities are the product of measurement. This means that numbers can conceivably be accurate because there is a discontinuity between each integer and the next. Between two and three there is a jump. In the case of quantity there is no such jump, and because jump is missing in the world of quantity it is impossible for any quantity to be exact. You can have exactly three tomatoes. You can never have exactly three gallons of water. Always quantity is approximate."

www.oikos.org/batesnumber.htm - Preview

bloggable numbers quantity measurement blog

  • Numbers are the product of counting. Quantities
    are the product of measurement. This means that numbers can
    conceivably be accurate because there is a discontinuity between
    each integer and the next. Between two and three there is a jump.
    In the case of quantity there is no such jump, and because jump
    is missing in the world of quantity it is impossible for any
    quantity to be exact. You can have exactly three tomatoes. You
    can never have exactly three gallons of water. Always quantity is
    approximate.
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