The Number 12
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 Filed in: Things
What is your favorite number? If I had to choose a
number between 1 and 10, I would choose 6. 12 is my
favorite.
There's something sweet, friendly, and flexible about the number 12. 144 is even more flexible and capable, but too complex for most of my needs. 12 is just right and not complicated.
Toss in a little multiplication and you can get to 144 quickly. Some division, and 12 easily becomes 6, or 3, or 4. Even 8 or 9.
What makes 12 so attractive is the flexible nature in which it can be used. For example, I do exercises each day by using a Total Gym package. My target number for most exercises is 12. My weight and the angle of the backboard provides the resistence.
At the end of the first exercise, I think to myself, "Only one more and I'll be at 1/6th of the goal." At the end of the third exercise, I think, "That's 25-percent already." At the end of four, I say, "That's one third, and only two more to half way."
See how it works?
12 gets to 100 quickly, too. Think of 8 x 12. That's 96. When numbers get bigger, close enough is acceptable.
The number 12 seems to have been approved by God. There were 12 tribes in Israel, 12 apostles, 144 cubits to measure the wall (12 x 12).
A little multiplication and division, with some help with addition and subtraction, makes the use of numbers much easier. Most of my use of numbers is graphical. I think in terms of building blocks. All the blocks equals the whole. Half the blocks becomes 50-percent.
Often, during business meetings on budgets and revenue projections, I'm able to come up with a relatively accurate calculation without using the calculator. Numbers become graphic boxes, or blocks; the get moved around, added, multiplied, subtracted, totaled, but it's all graphic and inspired by the number 12.
Come to think of it, life was most enjoyable when I was 12, quite good at 24, fair at 36, and not worthy of comparison after that. Some numbers are best left alone.
There's something sweet, friendly, and flexible about the number 12. 144 is even more flexible and capable, but too complex for most of my needs. 12 is just right and not complicated.
Toss in a little multiplication and you can get to 144 quickly. Some division, and 12 easily becomes 6, or 3, or 4. Even 8 or 9.
What makes 12 so attractive is the flexible nature in which it can be used. For example, I do exercises each day by using a Total Gym package. My target number for most exercises is 12. My weight and the angle of the backboard provides the resistence.
At the end of the first exercise, I think to myself, "Only one more and I'll be at 1/6th of the goal." At the end of the third exercise, I think, "That's 25-percent already." At the end of four, I say, "That's one third, and only two more to half way."
See how it works?
12 gets to 100 quickly, too. Think of 8 x 12. That's 96. When numbers get bigger, close enough is acceptable.
The number 12 seems to have been approved by God. There were 12 tribes in Israel, 12 apostles, 144 cubits to measure the wall (12 x 12).
A little multiplication and division, with some help with addition and subtraction, makes the use of numbers much easier. Most of my use of numbers is graphical. I think in terms of building blocks. All the blocks equals the whole. Half the blocks becomes 50-percent.
Often, during business meetings on budgets and revenue projections, I'm able to come up with a relatively accurate calculation without using the calculator. Numbers become graphic boxes, or blocks; the get moved around, added, multiplied, subtracted, totaled, but it's all graphic and inspired by the number 12.
Come to think of it, life was most enjoyable when I was 12, quite good at 24, fair at 36, and not worthy of comparison after that. Some numbers are best left alone.
