# Poll: What Type of Number Would You Want to Be? (I think I got it to work this time.) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408 "2020-07-05T21:10:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/1 "2020-07-05T21:10:34Z")
If you could be a number, what kind of number would you **want** to be? Some of the categories might be overlapping, for example a rational number could also be a real number. So choose carefully. _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/2 "2020-07-05T21:37:16Z")
Integer, certainly. Probably 8. ---
**Author:** ![Krispy\_Original](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ec9cab/32.png) [@Krispy\_Original](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krispy_Original)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/3 "2020-07-05T22:12:23Z")
I’ve enjoyed being #3. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/4 "2020-07-05T23:48:22Z")
I would choose 00. Wikipedia says: [quote] A **leading zero** is any [0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_(number)) [digit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_digit) that comes before the first nonzero digit in a number string in [positional notation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_notation).[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_zero#cite_note-miller-1) For example, [James Bond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond)’s famous identifier, 007, has two leading zeros.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_zero#cite_note-2)[quote] Since the 0 is leading a 0, I’ll call that second zero a non-negative integer. So I’ll say a non-negative (and non-positive?) integer with a leading zero. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/5 "2020-07-06T01:15:42Z")
To repeat myself from the closed thread: Poisson’s ratio, 'cause it’s dimensionless. Yes, I know my intentions may seem a bit fishy. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/6 "2020-07-06T05:13:45Z")
No input other than to say I love your avatar! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/7 "2020-07-06T05:16:47Z")
I selected the next-to-last option because (I can’t stand the expression “second-to-last” and) why would anyone NOT want to be a _perfect number_? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/8 "2020-07-06T05:45:03Z")
Obviously the number 42. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/9 "2020-07-06T06:25:56Z")
I originally (well, in my second attempt anyway) had Perfect Number as an option but the system only let me keep 20 options. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/10 "2020-07-06T10:04:54Z")
Even. I was thinking the other night about how addition and multiplication tend toward even sums. I wasn’t thinking much more than that, but I was noticing. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/11 "2020-07-06T11:39:16Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I can’t stand the expression “second-to-last” Well there is an appropriate technical term for that. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/12 "2020-07-06T15:08:14Z")
For me it’s even products of single digit numbers (excluding those that end with 0). For example: 8, 12, 42, 56, 72. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/13 "2020-07-06T19:41:45Z")
I’d like to be a quaternion. Maybe 1 + 2i +3j + 4k. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/14 "2020-07-17T13:47:59Z")
The kind you do on someone’s head. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/15 "2020-07-17T16:51:18Z")
Prime. I’d prefer not to be divided. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/16 "2020-07-19T01:48:32Z")
Inscrutable numbers, like ‘fourch’ or ‘twarve’. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/17 "2020-07-22T03:26:44Z")
[Friendly number]([Friendly number - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_number) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/18 "2020-07-22T09:33:58Z")
Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/19 "2020-07-23T00:57:31Z")
This is nine! NINE! This is nine! Nine! This is ten! Ten! We have killed your friends! Every friend is now dead! This is six! Six! Eighteen! This is now eighteen! Take cover when the siren sounds! This is four! Four! Five! This is five! Ignore the siren! Even if you leave this room, you can never leave this room! Eight! This is eight! Six! This is six! This is goddam fu\*\*ing SIX! ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408/20 "2021-06-23T02:15:32Z")
I am not a number; I AM A FREE MAN! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-type-of-number-would-you-want-to-be-i-think-i-got-it-to-work-this-time/914408.md?page=2)