Large Numbers

2
2

two

I like to say that "two" is the very first large number, since it's at least larger than one. In truth 2 is a number that
rests comfortably in the mind. It is actually one of only a handful of truly small whole numbers. By "truly small" I
mean that these are the few whole numbers that psychologically seem small to us. These are numbers that we can
grasp with our innate number sense.

Numbers that can be comprehended by simple extension of our number sense, that we can visualize in our
mind, I will call "palpable numbers". The palpable numbers extend slightly beyond our number sense because we can
imagine more object by arranging them in patterns. For example "six" we can visualize as the third triangular
number. "Seven" can be imagined as a row of four with a row of three above it. Some numbers however are beyond
our ability to full experience like a "hundred". Although we can imagine it as a 10 x 10 square, we can really perceive
all ten rows each with ten objects simultaneously in our minds eye. Thus there is a limit to the palpable numbers
determined by when the numbers our just out of "touch" (palpable means able to be touched or felt).

Although "2" is small in this sense at least two is a number just large enough to be perceived as a group as
opposed to a single entity. Two is also significant in that it occurs naturally where ever there is a dichotomy. Here's a
small sampling of dichotomies: male and female, good and evil, hot and cold, up and down, left and right, loud and
quite, soft and hard, high frequency and low frequency, long and short, large and small, etc.

Two is the first prime number, the sum of 1+1, the product of 2*1 & 1*2. It is also equal to 2^1, 2^^1, 2^^^1,
2^^^^1 etc.
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