What Is Your Number Name?

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I’m going with Beth-infinity. :smiley:

See this article and especially this one.

In that case, “I’ve got your number!”

1 isn’t a composite number, but it isn’t considered prime, either. It’s in a special class called a “unit” because it divides unity.

In the realm of he integers, we have only -1 and 1. When the subject of prime numbers comes up (in its most basic interpretation, starting with the set of positive integers) we have 1 as the only unit. Positive integers break down into 1, the prime numbers, and the composite numbers.

This is advanced reasoning. The early Greeks considered 1 a prime number, and I believe the actual language term was proto. This was before the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic.

Here’s a simple way of looking at this. All composite numbers can be reduced to prime numbers that multiply up to them. (For instance 12 = 2 x 2 x 3.) But 1 neither reduces composite numbers by division nor does anything to built them up by multiplication. So it isn’t considered a prime factor.

Therefore, it isn’t considered a prime number.

Think of it as a starting point, the “zero” of multiplication. Prime numbers are the building blocks, and all other numbers (composites) are the results of piling on.


Of course, you could always point it out as a **non-composite **number. :slight_smile:

- Jack

There are cases in Japanese manga and anime where characters get theme-named with numbers as parts of their names.

One case is Maison Ikkoku:
the Wiki article describes the scheme as follows:


All of the tenants' names involve a pun on the character's room number:
Number     Character     Kanji of family name and meaning
0         Kyoko Otonashi (born Chigusa)     音無 (not a sound)
1(一)     The Ichinose Family     一の瀬 (first ford)
2(二)     Nozomu Nikaido     二階堂 (two-story temple)
3(三)     Shun Mitaka *     三鷹 (three hawks)
4(四)     Mr. Yotsuya     四谷 (four valleys)
5(五)     Yusaku Godai     五代 (five generations)
6(六)     Akemi Roppongi     六本木 (six trees)
7(七)     Kozue Nanao *     七尾 (seven mountain ridges)
8(八)     Ibuki Yagami *     八神 (eight gods)
9(九)     Asuna Kujo *     九条 (ninth avenue)
1000(千)     Mr. & Mrs. Chigusa (Kyoko's parents)      千草 (thousand herbs)

Another case is Kamichu!:
Yurie Hitotsubashi (一橋 ゆりえ) starts with 1
Kenji Ninomiya (二宮 健児) starts with 2
Matsuri Saegusa (三枝 祀) and her sister Miko Saegusa (三枝 みこ) start with 3
Mitsue Shijo (四条 光恵) starts with 4
Yashima-sama (八島様) starts with 8