#numbers

Two of the most famous Baghdadi scholars, the philosopher Al-Kindi and the mathematician Al-Khawarizmi, were certainly the most influential in transmitting Hindu numerals to the Muslim world. Both wrote books on the subject during al-Ma'mun's reign, and it was their work that was translated into Latin and transmitted to the West, thus introducing Europeans to the decimal system, which was known in the Middle Ages only as Arabic numerals. But it would be many centuries before it was widely accepted in Europe. One reason for this was sociological: decimal numbers were considered for a long time as symbols of the evil Muslim foe. ↗

— Jim Al-Khalili

#muslims #numbers #age

President Bush says he is concerned about the Iraqi people, but if Iraqi people are dying in numbers, then American policy will be challenged very strongly. ↗

— Peter Arnett

#american #american policy #bush #challenged #concerned

Once I dated a woman I only liked 43%. So I only listened to 43% of what she said. Only told the truth 43% of the time. And only kissed with 43% of my lips. Some say you can't quantify desire, attaching a number to passion isn't right, that the human heart doesn't work like that. But for me it does-I walk down the street and numbers appear on the foreheads of the people I look at. In bars, it's worse. With each drink, the numbers go up until every woman in the joint has a blurry eighty something above her eyebrows, and the next day I can only remember 17% of what actually happened. That's the problem with booze-it screws with your math. ↗

— Jeffrey McDaniel

#the-biology-of-numbers #dating

Do you know what the mathematical expression is for longing? ... The negative numbers. The formalization of the feeling that you are missing something. ↗

— Peter Høeg

#longing #mathematics #missing #negative-numbers #mathematics

Soon after I began working for the Professor, I realized that he talked about numbers whenever he was unsure of what to say or do. Numbers were also his way of reaching out to the world. They were safe, a source of comfort. ↗

— Yōko Ogawa

#numbers #society #mathematics

You'll get used to it. In the end you won't even notice it anymore," he said. "How is that possible? It will always be there, right before my eyes." "Exactly," said Mattia. "Which is precisely why you won't see it anymore. ↗

— Paolo Giordano

#the-solitute-of-prime-numbers #solitude

I think we have a number of young people - like yourself - who want to make a difference. I'm not sure the numbers are as large because I think the burden of getting elected to public office at the national level has become astronomically expensive. ↗

— Birch Bayh

#become #burden #difference #elected #expensive

I support immediate financial assistance to the newly elected Palestinian president. Now, I don't know what those numbers will be, and I don't know how it's going to be framed. ↗

— Joe Biden

#elected #financial #financial assistance #framed #going

Quarreling over food and drink, having neither scruples nor shame, not knowing right from wrong, not trying to avoid death or injury, not fearful of greater strength or of greater numbers, greedily aware only of food and drink - such is the bravery of the dog and boar. ↗

— Xun Zi

#aware #bravery #death #dog #drink

If I could have been a marine biologist I would have, but I didn't have that kind of intelligence. Numbers were never my strong point. ↗

— Nicolas Cage

#biologist #could #i #if i could #intelligence