I’m terrible with numbers ;____; (BACK 2 KINDERGARTEN)
 

Do you find that whenever you’re trying to write down a phone number or just trying to repeat numbers (counting cheque numbers, counting inventory etc) to another person, you tend to sometimes jumble up the order of the numbers, or hesitate to write down the next number?

For example, if someone said, “Please take out box number seven-five-two-two-zero-one”, you might be writing this number midway, but get somewhat stalled in your thought processes and write something like “7-5-2-~”? I know this sounds pretty elementary, where counting from zero or one to ten would be basically the only math you learn in kindergarten, but sometimes when I’m taking down messages of phone numbers or invoice numbers at my work place, I still find myself having to ask them to repeat then numbers, or if it’s a voice mail, I usually replay it two, three, or even four times.

It really depends on the speed of them saying the numbers and me writing the number right after each one is said, rather than listening to the full number than writing it after. At moderate speeds of speech, which I really don’t have a “syllables spoken per minute” range, I’m alright, but if they even tend to speed it up, I sometimes get thrown off and have the embarrassment of asking them to repeat.

Another thing that throws me off if they generally are talking very, very slowly, like with a thick Louisianan accent, and then when they come to saying some numbers, they spit them out like rapid machine gun fire.

Don't even ask me about counting in other languages. My taking French was just ...ugh. Most of the grammar was okay, but when it came to do anything with numbers, even the time, my mind always seemed to hesitate what number was which. Same thing with my Japanese listening comprehension. If the tape speaks about what some people did during the day, I'm fine, but when it comes to them asking what time is it or at what time they want to do something, then my comprehension starts to fall apart; I focus to much on identifying the number and then missing out on the crucial information before and after the number.

How well can you guys receive spoken numbers given to you? Do you have to ask them to often repeat the number (not so much for correctness, but for actually understanding the order the numbers are in)? I usually have a desk pad and pen ready whenever I pick up the phone at work to jot them down.

What's really funny (ironic?) about this is I'm an accounting major :tpg:

Supposedly, the human mind can handle up to seven numbers at a time--which is why we have a seven-digit telephone number (not counting area code)--but I guess it depends on the numbers for me. I'm usually good at remembering phone numbers for a short period of time, but if I get distracted I tend to jumble the numbers.

Sometimes it depends on the tone of voice used when they say the numbers. A person may use the same tone for five and nine, because they both have a long i. Then when repeating them in your head, you can get those two numbers swapped easily. It happens to me sometimes (I'm a math major too, wheee)

Assuming the accent is such that I can clearly understand the numbers being said, I have no issues with strings of up to about 18 numbers. Then again, mathematics has always been one of my strongest mental points.

I usually don't have too much difficulty remembering numbers for a short amount of time. I tend to repeat the number a few times to myself before I have to dial or write it on a piece of paper.

I have to write them down cause I will forget them in a split second. Don't ask me to add or subtract things either, I suck at both. But multiplying I'm great at, don't ask why cause I don't know.

Oh man, I'm terrible at remembering numbers over the phone. I can't even recite a number correctly without pen and paper handy. I easily get distracted my the current environment while on the phone ("So that's four-nine-ni-OH LOOK AT THE SHINY QUARTER!"). It also doesn't help me if the person is incoherent to begin with or constantly switches the way they say numbers in mid-speech. For example, they say "the number is two-five-five-nine...teen...hundred," and I've written down 5229 before the first brief pause.

I always check again when numbers are involved whether I know I'm right or I'm unsure. Phone message numbers are always terrible, since no one seems to say numbers slowly and you have to listen to the message repeatedly to make sure.

When dialing phone numbers, unless I've dialed a number many, many times, the only memory aid would be to look at the keypad moreso than remember the actual numbers. If I do have to remember numbers, I can usually get all 7 on the first go, but I check anyways.

Also, me too with Japanese and focusing on what the numbers are. I always have to remember: "ichi-ni-san-yon-go-roku-nana-hachi-kyu-ju..." or the same for any other language because I especially have trouble quickly remembering numbers after the five mark in most cases:

Tagalog: "isa-delawa-tatlo-apat-lima-anim-pito-walo-sham-sampo"
French: "un-deux-trois-quatre-cinq-six-sept-huit-neuf-dix"
German: "ein-zwei-drei-vier-funf-sechs-sieben-acht-neun-zehn"
etc. should these ever come up in context.

Same! With the numbers in a different language, if I forget what they say in...perhaps 8, then I have to start from a counter spot, say 5, then work my way up. This is pretty bad.

As well with the phone numbers, I know the numbers if I'm typing them into a keypad, but it takes me longer to come up and remember it if I'm just writing them out from memory.

I use clustering when relaying numbers to people. For example, if I have to call in some tag-number for a broken part, instead of saying over the phone "zero, zero, two, six, one, five, four, nine, two", I'll say "zero-zero-two, six-one-five, four-nine-two".

I find myself now breaking up numbers in the thousands and up into groups of ten, much like how many North Americans would say "nineteen-ninty-six" for 1996, rather than the one-thousand-nine-hundred-ninty-six. This helps if I'm relaying cheque numbers and amounts to co-workers, but doesn't help too much in me receiving information for numbers.

When I learn telephone numbers, I remember them as Area Code, Group of 3 numbers, second group of 3 numbers, much like ElectricSheep.

Mental Arithmetic is not my strong point, I can do sums in my head, but it takes me a long time because I have to rearrange the numbers in my head(for multiplication) to make it a sum I can do in my head, easily.

For example, I wanted to multiply 0.56 by 350 in my head(I was in bed and couldn't be bothered to find my calculator), so I made it into 56x3.5, then 28x7, then 7x4x7, then 49x4 to get the answer of 196.

If it's a spoken sum, I have to write down the main numbers involved because I forget them quickly. Even simple sums...

And when I'm counting, I can never remember what comes after 79, I always stop and think about it, for some reason. I know it's 80 but can never remember it...

And I'm doing a Further Maths A-Level and hoping to do Maths at University...:)

Interesting. Mentally, I break that problem down first into 350 * (0.5 + 0.06) = (350/2) + 350*6/100. The first half is easy, 175, and I can push that off to side mentally to work the next part. 350*6/100 is the same as 350/100*6, or 3.5*6. This is just 3*6 + 6/2, or 18+3=21. Add that to 175 and you get the answer, 196.

The best trick I pulled off was to take a physics test when the professor wanted all answers in final computed form (rounded to the nearest significant figure). Unfortunately, I had forgotten my scientific calculator that day. Fortunately, I remembered a method to compute the square root of any decimal number using an algorithm similar to long division (not Newton's method, something else). Saved my ass.

I'm pretty good at remembering numbers yelled at me via the telephoney or rumoured human interaction. Unless they have some obsession with saying the number as fast as they possibly can like I've noticed so much. The conversation goes normally then all of a sudden it's like they're on a race track without a car. Then you ask again and they say it even faster.