fast numbers
What is the fastest way to say each number? 27 is usually called 'twenty-seven', but that takes four syllies (syllables). Instead, we can use only 2 syllies by saying 'three cubed'.
This page shows the optimal name for each number, using arithmetic, nicknames, and other shortcuts. Use the input to select between three different versions:
original
The original fast numbers are the most basic. This is the system discussed in our first video about fast numbers. We allow arithmetic using the words 'plus', 'minus', 'times', and 'over'. For example: 'seventy-two' can be shortened to 'six times twelve'.
We also allow for powers using the words 'squared', 'cubed', 'to the fourth', 'to the fifth', and so on. For example: 'five hundred twelve' can be shortened to 'eight cubed'.
Finally, we allow for fractions using the words 'halves', 'thirds', 'fourths' and so on. For example: 'three hundred seventy-five' can be shortened to 'three thousand eighths'.
ance
The ance (advanced) version expands on the original with nicknames and more operations, as shown in our second video.
'Thousand', 'million', and 'billion' are shortened to 'thou', 'mil' and 'bil'. We also shorten 'seven' to 'sven', 'eleven' to 'elf'.
Numbers can be also named by sequences. 23 is 'ninth prime', 55 is 'tenth fib' (fibonacci), and 32 is 'five bits'.
The following new terms are introduced: score for 20, gross for 144, ream for 500, lakh for 100,000, crore for 100,00,000, stack for 64, chest for 1728, and large chest for 3456.
Some of the existing operations are improved. 'x minus y' is replaced by 'x take y'. 'x over y' is replaced by 'x on y'. 'x times y' is replaced by 'x ys'.
We also add a bunch of new operations: factorial, choose, base, and modulo.
serious
The serious version is an alternate expansion of the original system. Instead of approaching the problem with nicknames, we use an wider set of operations.
Floor, ceiling, and round are introduced. These allow for logarithms, roots, and irrationals to be used while still producing integer results. Logarithms and roots in turn allows for very large numbers, such as decillion, to be used while still producing small results.
The serious version does not claim to produce optimal results like the other two. The range of options vastly increases with these new operations and numbers, so we only check a small subset that is expected to be near optimal.
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