14 Sep
2019
14 Sep
'19
8:22 a.m.
Is it just me, or do others on this list experience numbers, formulae, etc., with more senses than just eyesight? For example, I find formulae that have polarity -- e.g., determinants -- to feel "sharp" and/or have a sharp taste, whereas formulae that are non-negative to have a rounded shape and/or have a smooth taste. Thus, a squared determinant loses its sharpness. By analogy, quadratic residues feel "smoother" than do non-residues. Perhaps these feelings come from formulae such as: abs(x)^2 = x^2 (abs(x) has a *sharp* edge at x=0, whereas abs(x)^2=x^2 does not.) Perhaps numbers & formulae could also come with *sound effects* ? --- Should math education and/or math museum exhibits attempt to capitalize on math synesthesia?