Numerosities are not ersatz numbers

Behav Brain Sci. 2021 Dec 15:44:e198. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X21000984.

Abstract

In describing numerosity as "a kind of ersatz number," Clarke and Beck fail to consider a familiar and compelling definition of numerosity, which conceptualizes numerosity as the cognitive counterpart of the mathematical concept of cardinality; numerosity is the magnitude, whereas number is a scale through which numerosity/cardinality is measured. We argue that these distinctions should be considered.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Mathematical Concepts*