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        riddles >> easy >> Shapes for Numbers
        
(Message started by: mattian on Nov 8^th, 2005, 9:13am)

Title: Shapes for Numbers
Post by mattian on Nov 8^th, 2005, 9:13am

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by JocK on Nov 8^th, 2005, 12:58pm

Anwsering the obvious I'm affraid...

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by mattian on Nov 8^th, 2005, 1:23pm

Fair enough.

Does that solution hold if three is represented by:

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by towr on Nov 8^th, 2005, 1:47pm

One might go for a lense and circle instead.

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by JocK on Nov 8^th, 2005, 2:08pm

If a triangle represents 3, and a square represents 4, I would say that a line segment represents 1, and a circle represents infinity. And to be able to represent 2, one has to rely on non-Euclidean metrics...

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by mattian on Nov 8^th, 2005, 2:13pm

In the context of the three and four given above, I arrived at the following solution:

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by Grimbal on Nov 9^th, 2005, 12:41am

see below

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by Neelesh on Nov 9^th, 2005, 1:44am

what about zero?
just a point?

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by mattian on Nov 9^th, 2005, 7:23am

That's cool -

As long as three isn't the triangle shown above. Also space is limited for large numbers.

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by mattian on Nov 9^th, 2005, 7:37am

on 11/08/05 at 13:47:45, towr wrote:

One might go for a lense and circle instead.

I thought about that but it reminds me of a question on the online mensa test - If a circle is 1, what does an octagon represent? The answer, of course, is 8. But a circle comprises an infinite number of straight line segments suggesting that it should represent infinity, and that one should be represented by a single straight line. If there is a constraint that says all number representations must be closed, then a single straight line segment is invalid. So I concede that a circle can represent 1 and be considered a single straight line segment iff it is infinitely large. Two would the be represented by two infintely large circles, sitting on top of each other with differing directions of spin. There is then a simple equilateral triangle of any size.

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by towr on Nov 9^th, 2005, 1:46pm

on 11/09/05 at 07:37:59, mattian wrote:

But infinity isn't a natural number, 1 is.
I was simply counting sides/curve-pieces.

There are other choices though. If you count corners, than two would still be a lense, but a circle would be zero, and one should have one corner.
Two could also be a heart :P

Title: Re: Shapes for Numbers
Post by t1n0m3n on Nov 25^th, 2005, 10:24pm

My first thought is that a square is 4, a line is 2 and a period is one. But that was before I looked at the other people's answers.