[XeTeX] Dinosaurs

[Shrisha Rao]

El sep 13, 2011, a las 3:00 a.m., Philip TAYLOR (Webmaster, Ret'd) escribió:

> Tobias Schoel wrote:
>> Shouldn't real dinosaurs (real as in MTV Real Life) calculate using only the Peano Axioms and the unary system? I mean, the natural numbers and the peano axioms are nature given / god given (choose whatever you like) and every human before homo sapiens had only the cognitive capabilities to use the unary system: “Hey, I saw ||||| deer, let's go hunt them.” “Oh no, I saw ||| lions, they would kill us.”
> 
> Are you sure ? My understanding of palæoanthropology is that, long
> before man was able to differentiate ||||| deer from |||||||| deer,
> he could tell | deer from || deer from > || deer, and that was the
> limit of his calculating ability. 

I believe four is the limit to which humans can subitize even now, though idiot savants like Kim Peek ("Rain Man") are claimed to be able to do many more.  See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6577241.stm for an item and small experiment.

Regards,

Shrisha Rao

> ** Phil.