Skip to content

Mathematics of blocks

yuuki edited this page Apr 17, 2025 · 21 revisions

We can think of a positive integer n as a set of n blocks arranged in a line--the same as marbles, dominoes, or any other countable objects.

Integers from 1 to 10:

o

oo

ooo

oooo

ooooo

oooooo

ooooooo

oooooooo

ooooooooo

oooooooooo

Even and odd numbers

An even number can be divided into two equal parts, while an odd number cannot. Halving an odd number leaves a remainder of 1. An odd number has a "middle".

o

o
o

oo
o

oo
oo

ooo
oo

ooo
ooo

oooo
ooo

oooo
oooo

ooooo
oooo

ooooo
ooooo

Definition (Even and odd numbers): Let n and k be integers. We say that n is even if there exists k such that n = 2 k , and n is odd if there exists k such that n = 2 k + 1 .

"An odd number has a middle"

Three doors have a middle one; four don't. However, if three doors form a triangle, we may not know which one is the middle. If a set S has an odd number of elements arranged in a line, then S has a middle element. It seems that such an ordering is said to be a linear order (or total order).