Chapter 1
It was the First of January on Number Street, and a
very cold day it was. Right at the top of Number
Street, Number 1 stood looking out of the only
window in his tall, thin house. Number 1 was
wondering whether anyone would come to his
birthday party this year. He didn't think they would.
The reason Number 1 was so sure he would be
alone on his birthday has to do with an old custom
on Number Street. You see, there's always a lot of
dancing at birthday parties on Number Street. And
the numbers that dance together at a birthday party
have to add up to the number that's having the
birthday. Number 1 couldn't think of any numbers
that add up to 1. Can you?
In fact, he was so sure nobody would come that he
only set out one piece of birthday cake, decorated
with a single thin and lonely looking candle.
Then Number 1 heard a soft, muffled pounding on
his door. He didn't have to think about what door to
go to, because Number l's house only has one door.
Excited, Number 1 hopped to the door and flung it
open. There before him was the most amazing
apparition, white from top to bottom and almost
frozen stiff. Surprised, he jumped back, and it glided
in through the door.
"Who are you?" asked Number 1, as he tried to peer
through the white cloth draped all over his
remarkable guest. "I, I, I'm Number 0," chattered
his chilly visitor. "What house do you live in?" asked
Number 1. "I don't have a house,” she replied. I've
put up a tent at the top of the street near Number
2's house. When they built all of the other houses on
Number Street, they forgot to put up one for me. I
guess they just started counting 1, 2, 3..., going back
and forth across the street, and never thought about
putting up a house for a nothing like me. I have oh
so many nice warm clothes and blankets and things
in my tent, but today I just can't seem to keep from
shivering." At this, Number 0 gave one last shiver,
and the muslin sheets she was covered with shook
from top to bottom.
"Well, come on in," said Number 1. "I'm really glad
to have some company. Today is my birthday, and I
was afraid I was going to have to spend it all alone.
By the way, can you dance?"
Could she dance! Number 0 was delighted.
Number 1 put on his one and only favorite tape,
and they danced through the wee hours of the night.
You should have seen them: Number 0 gliding
across the floor as graceful as you please, and
Number 1 hopping around after her. They danced
2
and danced and danced, until Number 1 couldn't
dance any more. Then Number 1 just twirled back
and forth on the barstool by his breakfast nook
while Number 0 coasted back and forth across the
floor in front of him. Finally, as there was nowhere
for Number 0 to sit, Number 1 offered her a
blanket to wrap up in, and Number 0 went home.
Number 1 had a feeling he would be seeing this
great dancer again. At least, he hoped so. He hadn't
told her, but he had just lent out his only blanket. So
he turned the ‘heat up a degree, got in his warm
flannel pajama, and fell fast asleep under his flannel
sheet in his long, thin, single bed.
3
Chapter 2
It was the Second of February, and time for
Number 2's birthday party on Number Street.
Number 2 set out two pieces of birthday cake for
her party. Not that she thought anybody would
come. Number 1 had already stopped by some time
ago, looking a little chilly despite the blanket draped
over his shoulder, to tell her his foot was too sore to
dance at her party. She thought this was a bit odd.
But Number 1 wouldn't explain why his foot was
sore -- or why he was carrying a blanket for that
matter.
If the truth be told, Number 2 thought that all of
the numbers that lived on the other side of the street
were odd. She thought they had funny shaped
houses. [Take Number 3's triangular house, with
two windows on one side of the front door and one
on the other. It upset her sense of symmetry.] And
those odd numbers were so eccentric and excitable.
Number 2 was glad she lived on her side of the
street. Here, she thought, everyone is even tempered
and treats each other in a civilized, even-handed
manner.
4
Anyway, Number 2 thought she knew the real
reason why Number 1 didn't want to come to her
birthday party. He wouldn't have anyone to dance
with! The real reason Number 2 had set out two
pieces of birthday cake wasn't because she was
expecting anyone to come. It was because she loved
birthday cake. Whenever Number 2 went to a party,
she always ate two pieces if there was any left over.
She realized that this made her look a bit fat in front,
but she didn't care. She just loved cake, especially
birthday cake with thick, creamy, sweet icing.
Number 2 was just about to dig in to her birthday
cake when she heard a noise. It wasn't a knocking,
more like a thumping or bumping at the door. The
back door no less, which was strange, since most of
her guests come up the walk through the long
narrow pair of hedges that lead to her front door.
Number 2 looked out on one of her windows, and
then the other. There weren't any tracks in the snow,
but there was a long dented trail leading across her
side yard towards the back door, as if someone had
ridden a sledding saucer across her garden. What
could that be?
Number 2 raced to the back door and opened it.
"Hello," she said, "come in before you catch your
death of cold." It was, of course, Number 0. "I
hope you don't mind my barging in on you like this,"
said Number 0. "I was talking to that nice Number
1 from across the street, and he said you might like
5
some company on your birthday, since he wasn't
coming."
Number 2 was glad to have the company. Although
she prided herself on being even tempered, it was a
bit depressing, to tell the truth, to have to spend
your own birthday alone. The only problem was, she
would have to offer her guest a piece of birthday
cake to be polite. And Number 2 did love having
two pieces of cake. But she offered her guest a piece
of cake along with some tea.
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly," said Number 0. "I'm
on a diet." Number 0 thought she was too fat, you
see, even 'though everyone else thought there was
nothing for her to worry about. "I'd much rather
dance."
Now Number 2 really likes dancing. She didn't want
6
to eat in front of Number 0, and she also didn't
want to dance on a full stomach. So she set the cake
aside, rolled up her two rugs, and put on one of her
two tapes. And she danced. And Number 0 danced.
And they danced and danced and danced. Finally,
Number 0 had enough of her host's favorite dance,
which is the two step, of course. So they sat down
on the two chairs in one of Number 2's two rooms
and talked for the rest of the evening.
As Number 0 was finally leaving, Number 2 said,
"You must come to our Evenist Group Wednesday
evening. Everyone from this side of the block will be
there." "I don't know," replied Number 0. "It's so
cold this time of year that nothing seems to interest
me, except dancing. Dancing helps keep me warm.
Thanks for the extra blanket you gave me. I hope I'll
see you soon." Number 2 curled up under her
remaining blanket and was soon fast asleep.
7
Chapter 3
It was the Third of March, and there was a beautiful
ice storm on Number 3's birthday. All the trees and
bushes were covered with shimmering crystal, but
the sidewalks were slippery and dangerous. Number
3 had been out for three hours punching holes to
break up the ice when his first two guests, Number
1 and Number 2, came picking their way carefully
up the steps. Number 3 had resigned himself to
watching them dance all evening, when a wonderful
vision came gliding up his sidewalk, oblivious to the
slippery ice and as graceful as can be. There, dressed
in a long satin gown and hidden behind fine lacy
veils, was Number 0. This delighted Number 3,
because by now everyone had heard what a terrific
dancer Number 0 was.
All of the numbers went inside to dance at Number
3's birthday party. The dance of the evening was the
waltz. Number 3 loved the rhythm of the waltz:
1,2,3;1,2,3;1,2,3... Number 1 waltzed with Number
2, and Number 3 waltzed with Number 0. You
should have seen them waltz to "The Blue Danube."
Number 0 flowed across the floor like water down a
river.
8
Then they did a fast waltz, and that's what caused
the accident. The trouble is, Number 3's house is
shaped like a triangle. Number 3 is very fond of
triangles. Oddly, Number 3's dinner plates are
triangle shaped, no less! During the waltz, Number
1 was hopping around so awkwardly that his partner,
Number 2, got thrown into a tight corner and
wedged there. No matter how much she wiggled and
squeezed, she couldn't get out. "All that cake," she
thought to herself. "If only I hadn't eaten so much
cake, I wouldn't have gotten stuck in this corner so
tightly.
Then Number 0 did the most incredible thing.
Somehow, she squeezed in really small behind
Number 2, and then blew up again to her normal
size like a balloon. Of course, nobody could see how
she did this. As always, she was covered from top to
9
bottom, phis time in her long gown and long white
veils. So nobody had ever actually seen what she
looked like. Anyway, it worked. Number 2 popped
out of the corner like a cork out of a champagne
bottle. Number 2 was very grateful, but Number 0
just said, "Think nothing of it." This was one of her
favorite expressions.
That was enough dancing, and it was time for desert.
First, there was another ritual at Number 3's
birthday parties. Number 3 has a collection. Now
collecting spoons is quite common. The world is full
of spoons collected from tourist shops, world's fairs,
and so forth. But Number 3 has a really unique
collection of forks. Not just any kind of forks:
Number 3 has the world's largest collection of
desert forks. Can you guess why Number 3 likes
these forks so much?
Each number had to pick the desert fork they liked
best. Number 1 picked an antique silver fork [which
originally belonged to a Frenchman named Fermat].
Number 2 picked a solid gold fork, and Number 3
picked his favorite, made of platinum. Number 0
didn't need a fork, because she wasn't eating. This
left an extra piece which Number 2 ate, despite her
recent lament about eating too much cake. Then
they all went home tired and happy.
Number 3 washed up the dishes and hung his
precious forks back up on the wall with the rest of
his collection. Then he turned out three lights and
10
climbed into his triangular bed under three cozy
blankets. He was soon fast asleep.
11
Chapter 4
It was the Fourth of April, and there was a touch of
Spring in the air on Number Street. In front of
Number 4's house, the first four daffodils were
blooming. Number 4 was busy getting ready for the
old-fashioned dancing party that she- was planning
for her birthday. Some thought she was a bit square,
but Number 4 believed that everything should be
just right when you give a party. So she polished the
four windowpanes on each of her four windows. She
polished the door knobs on the front door, the back
door, and the side doors. She neatly arranged four
chairs around her square kitchen table and placed on
it a beautifully square birthday cake with four square
candles. Number 4 had melted the candle wax to
make the candles herself. Did you ever try to buy
square birthday candles at a store? Everything in
Number 4's square little house was perfect.
"Squared up," Number 4 would say.
A week earlier, at the Evenist Group, Number 2
had solved a problem that had been bothering the
numbers on Number Street for years. Every time
someone on her side of the street had a birthday
party, there was an awkward situation. At Number
12
2's birthday party, there was nobody for Number 1.
to dance with. At Number 4's birthday party, there
was nobody for Number 2 to dance with. Those
odd fellows on the other side of the street didn't
seem to have this problem. But for the members of
the Evenist Group, it was a constant annoyance.
Number 2 announced that this year her cousin from
out of town was coming to visit here for the first
week of April, just in time for Number 4's birthday
party.
All the numbers invited to Number 4's birthday
party were gathered in the kitchen when they heard
knocking at the door. "Who could that be?" asked
Number 4. Number 4 looked around t kitchen at
Number 0, Number 1 and Number 3, and
Number 2 and her cousin. Everyone who had been
invited was already there. They counted the knocks:
1,2,3,4,5. "Oh no," thought Number 4. "It's that
crazy Number 5 who lives diagonally across the
street. I have to open the door. It would be rude not
to. But he won't have anyone to dance with. He'll
mope around, too embarrassed to leave, but making
everyone fell self-conscious because he doesn't have
anyone to dance with.
"It's Number 5," whispered Number 2 to her
cousin. Or maybe it was the other way around. They
look so much alike that it's hard to tell. "I hope he
doesn't start reciting from Romeo and Juliet like he
did last year. [He's a fanatic about Shakespeare.]
13
Number 4 asked Number 5 to come in. "You're
just in time for my birthday party," said Number 4.
You're welcome to come and join us. But I'm afraid
there won't be anyone for you to dance with.
That afternoon, Number 5 had been out hunting
wildflowers. He was over in the old section of town,
where lots of ramshackle houses had been torn
down. Hunting wildflowers was one of Number 5's
favorite pastimes, because lots of wildflowers have
five petals on their blossoms. Did you ever notice
that? These were his favorite flowers. But it was a
little early in the year for these flowers. Number 5
was about to give up and go home to his pentagonal
house, when he heard noises from the basement of
an old demolished building next to where Number 1
lived.
Curious, Number 5 went over to take a closer look.
There were clouds of dust coming out of the
basement door. "Is there anybody in there?" shouted
Number 5 into the clouds of dust. "Nobody you
would ever want to meet," came back a hollowsounding voice. "Why, what's your name?" asked
Number 5. "I'm called Minus 1," came back the
reply. "Nobody has ever shown any interest in me.
I'm sure you must be in the wrong place." In fact, -1
was just the number that Number 5 had been
hoping to meet for months, ever since he heard
about Number 0 and how good a dancer she is.
And here's the reason.
14
Number 5 knew that Number 4 is a perfectionist,
and that Number 4 makes the best birthday cake on
Number Street. Number 5 also knew that Number
4 likes old-fashioned things, especially old-fashioned
dances. Number 5 likes old-fashioned things too—
old books, country music, and especially old plays.
The one thing they both like, that is especially a
passion for Number 4, is square dancing. But for
square dancing at Number 4's birthday party, they
would need four pairs of numbers that each added
up to four, one pair for each corner of the square.
Number 2 had brought along her Cousin from out
of town. They could start together at one corner of
the square. Number 3 could start with Number 1 at
another corner, and Number 4 could start with
Number 0 at the third corner. But who could start
with Number 5 at the last corner in the square
dance, so Number 5 could go to the party, have a
good time dancing, and eat some of the best
birthday cake on Number Street?
Number 5 really needed a number that you could
add to five and get four. But what number could that
be? Well, on a windy day earlier that spring,
Number 5 had a set of five window boxes delivered
at the curb in front of his house. Before he had a
chance to plant flowers in them, a cloud of dust had
blown down the street in the direction of where
Number 5 was standing now. After the cloud
passed by, there were only four window boxes left.
Interesting, thought Number 5. Five, plus whatever
15
was in that cloud of dust, made four.
Having lost one window box, Number 5 now had a
great present for Number 4's birthday--four
perfectly matched window boxes. But how could
Number 5 go to the party without ruining the
dance? Here was the answer! Five and minus one
makes four!
With great reluctance, -1 was persuaded to go with
Number 5 to Number 4's birthday party. It was the
promise of great birthday cake that did it. -1 always
seems to have a hole in his stomach and never to be
able to get enough to eat.
After they got over the shock of having a negative
number at one of their parties, the numbers were
16
delighted by Number 5’s clever idea. They had the
best square dance ever. Number 4 was, as one of
her neighbors up and across the street liked to say,
"in Seventh Heaven."
There were only a couple of problems. When they
got around to eating the birthday cake, there was
already a piece missing. What could have happened
to it? Then there was the cleanup. After the party,
spent four hours cleaning up all the dust from the
four rooms in her little house. Then she fell into her
square bed completely exhausted and was soon fast
asleep.
17
Chapter 5
Number 5 has his birthday on a very special day -Cinco de Mayo, the Fifth of May. This was going to
be a great day for the numbers going to Number 5's
birthday party. First, they were all going to the Cinco
de Mayo parade in the afternoon. Then, Number 5's
partner for the evening, Number 0, was going to be
his guest of honor at her favorite play, "Much Ado
about Nothing." Then they were all going to retire to
Number 5's house for an evening of dancing to
Renaissance music by an excellent quintet. And
finally, of course, there was the traditional "General
Eisenhower" birthday cake, decorated with five stars
and baked in the shape of a pentagon. [This cake
didn't "cut the mustard compared to Number 4's
recipe, despite the fact that it was specially prepared
by an incredibly expensive caterer. But Number 5
liked it anyway, and it was served at every one of his
birthday parties.]
Number 5's house was festooned with bouquets of
spring wildflowers--five bouquets in each room.
Number 0 was resplendent in her long fine white
silk robes and her white lace veils. Number 1 wore
his best tall silk hat. Number 2 and Number 3
18
dressed "to the teeth" as well. Number 4, whose
dress was usually conservative, had even worn a
beautifully crafted patchwork skirt for the occasion.
They were just about to begin the dancing when they
heard a rapid knocking at the door: knock, knock,
knock; knock, knock, knock. The sound cast a spell
over all of them. Knock, knock, knock; knock,
knock, knock: it must be Number 6. Quick as a
wink Number 5 whispered something to Number 0
and disappeared out a back door. Number 0 glided
to the front door and opened it. There, dressed all in
black and wearing the most outrageous black hat,
was Number 6. Number 6 lived across the street in
a house that some of the more superstitious, like
Number 13, said had a hex on it. Number 3 said
"that hex 'a gone long time ago." But that was just
his way of describing an old house with six sides.
Anyway, as soon as you could say "bubble, bubble,
toil and trouble," another guest whirled in the front
door in a cloud of dust, with Number 5 close
behind. It was, of course, -1. What a peculiar couple
they would make, Number 6 and -1, but at least
they added up to five.
The guests were just settling down from this
excitement and getting ready to dance when there
was another series of knocks at the door: knock,
knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. The
door was opened to Number 7, dressed in his
Saturday best, and carrying a large flat package
sticking straight out from his body, tucked up under
19
his arm. Can you imagine what he looked like? "I
don't want to interrupt your party," said Number 7,
"but I just came across this fantastic five year
calendar that I knew would be perfect for your
house."
Number 7 is a calendar fanatic. He has a calendar
wrist watch, a calendar clock, and calendars hanging
in all seven rooms of his house. Number 7 also
loved to dance, except to the music of the Beatles.
Ever since he heard the song "Eight Days a Week,"
he couldn't stand the Beatles. [At Number 5's
Renaissance birthday party, Number 7 would surely
be safe from the Beatles.]
Now the party's host was really at sixes and sevens.
Who on earth was going to dance with Number 7.
Just then, -1 cleared his throat. "Ahem." Everyone
looked at him, or at least tried to. As usual, the dust
hadn't settled yet. "Across the street from my
basement, there's another basement that has a
storage cellar under it. Somebody lives there who
might be able to solve your problem." "Somebody
who could dance with Number 7 at my birthday
party?" asked Number 5. "That's right," said -1.
"Her name is Minus 2. Should I go see if I can get
her to come?" Everyone agreed, especially Number
7, who was looking forward to the dancing.
After a long wait, -1's dust cloud reappeared with a
brownish looking mass in tow. "This is -2," declared
-1. "She loves to dance, and she really likes birthday
20
cake, so I talked her into coming." "I put on my best
dress," said -2, "but it rained last night, and I'm
afraid everything in the cellar got a bit muddy, even
me." Number 7 made a note to visit the dry cleaners
the next day, and everyone started dancing.
When they got to the birthday cake, there were
already three pieces missing. Why could that be? So
they cut the other pieces a little smaller, to make it
go around. That didn't bother the other numbers,
21
because the cake wasn't that tasty anyway, not nearly
as good as Number 4's.
After everyone left, Number 5 looked around at the
dust and muddy footprints on the floor. He decided
that cleaning up could wait another day, and
promptly fell fast asleep on the sofa.
22
Chapter 6
This is a story that was told at Number 6's birthday
party near the end of the school year, on the Sixth of
June.
Once upon a time, there was a hex on the Number
Street community. The trouble started in school,
when someone didn't do a good job of their turn to
erase the chalkboard. The last subject of the day was
their favorite. What is that in the Number Street
School? It's math, of course. So left on the board for
anyone to see was the number 2, right in the lower
left corner, above the waste basket.
When the teacher came in the next day, there were
two waste baskets in the corner. One looked just like
the other. This didn't surprise the teacher, since all
the waste baskets in the school looked just the same.
Still, the teacher didn't remember leaving two
wastebaskets right next to each other. What would
be the point of that, if both of them were empty?
The next day, there was so much excitement over
the "Adding Bee" that again the chalkboard didn't
get erased. This time, the same number was left in
the other corner of the blackboard, near the
23
teacher's desk. Sure enough, the next morning there
were two identical desks in the room, right next to
each other.
When Number 6 heard about this, she called the
teacher and said only one thing: "Don't forget to
erase the chalkboards!" The teacher thought this
strange, but Number 6 wouldn't explain. Just to be
safe, the teacher made very sure that the chalkboards
were completely clean at the end of each day.
All went well until the excitement of the day before
the big class trip. There were so many things to take
care of that nobody noticed that the number of seats
needed on the bus was left on the corner of the
chalkboard, right next to the teacher's desk.
What did they find the day after they came back
from the trip? The street was blocked off and trucks
were parked in it. Construction workers were taking
24
the windows off the side of the classroom. And
there, inside, were twenty-six identical teacher's
desks. They packed the classroom so tight that
nobody could get in the front door.
The teacher went over to see Number 6. "I warned
you," was all Number 6 would say.
That day the mayor, Number 100, announced that
she would personally go on patrol every night to
make sure this kind of thing didn't happen again.
Number 6 started to protest, but then decided just
to hope for the best.
The next day, everyone was astonished to see two
hundred garbage cans on the curb and all over the
front lawn at Number 100's huge house. Some
thought the garbage haulers were staging a protest
against the new recycling ordinance. But the mayor
had a very different story to tell.
"I had just set my garbage cans on the curb for the
morning pickup," said Number 100. "I only put out
two garbage cans a week, because I try to set a good
example by recycling as much as I can. Then I got
into my car to go on patrol. As I was pulling out of
the driveway, I stopped to let someone walk by. All
of a sudden, I was buried in garbage cans -hundreds of them."
Number 6 was still breathless from running down
the long block to hear the mayor's story. "Which car
were you driving," she asked, "your own or the city
25
M
e-
car?" "The city car," said the mayor, "the one that
says '100 MAYOR' on the license plate." "The
pedestrian you stopped for," cried out Number 6,
"did he have on a long black cape, with a big white
X on the back?" "Yes," said the mayor. "I thought
that was a little peculiar."
Everyone asked Number 6 what was going on. It
was obvious she knew the answer, and there didn't
seem any point to keeping it a secret any longer. "I'm
afraid," she replied, and then hesitated, still a little
out of breath, "it's... the... Magic Multiplier!"
Every so often, the Magic Multiplier stalks the streets
at night, looking for numbers to multiply things by.
When he finds his first number, he multiplies the
first thing he sees by that number, and then goes
home to sleep. First it was two wastebaskets, then
two desks, then twenty-six desks. Then he saw the
number 100 on the mayor's license plate, right next
to two garbage cans. It's a good thing there wasn't a
full garbage truck picking up the cans when the
mayor pulled out. Just imagine.
Number 6 was reluctant to tell this story, because
there were those who might try to take advantage of
the situation. How about writing the number 1,000
next to a gold watch, for example? When the Magic
Multiplier saw a trick like this, he got angry. Then he
didn't just multiply the first thing he saw by the first
number he saw. We waited until the results could be
really inconvenient. The mind boggles at what could
26
happen.
The numbers discussed at great length what could be
done about the situation. [There were letters to the
editor and public hearings and city council meetings.]
Some wanted to ban all public display of numbers.
But what about speed limits, gasoline prices, and all
sorts of other things?
Finally, Number 1 and Number 0 came up with a
very simple plan. First, the mayor would take in her
two garbage cans, and leave the other 198 outside.
Then Number 0 would sit out all night in front of
the mayor's house. She would wear her red satin
cape, with the big number 0 on the back. When the
Magic Multiplier came by, he would multiply the 198
cans by zero, and they would all vanish.
Next, Number 1 would patrol the street at night,
wearing his tall silk hat with the number one sewn
on it. When the Magic Multiplier came by and
multiplied something by one, the result would be
identical to what was there in the first place.
Eventually, the Magic Multiplier should get tired of
this dull game and go away. If anybody made a
mistake and left a number in the wrong place in the
meantime, Number 0 could fix it, just like with the
mayor's garbage cans.
Number 6 thought this plan would work. Sure
enough, the next day the mayor's lawn was clean
again. After Number 1 patrolled the streets a while,
27
they never had trouble with the Magic Multiplier again.
Perhaps he went to another neighborhood.
The guests had been listening raptly to Number 6's
story. Stories about numbers always held their
attention, and they were especially interested in this
thing called multiplying. By now they were itching to
dance and already starting to get hungry. After a
wonderful evening when everybody had left,
Number 6 cleared away the dishes, went to bed and
was soon fast asleep.
28
Chapter 7
It was a red letter day on Number 7's calendar. It
was the Seventh of July, his birthday. The talk up
and down Number Street for the last month had
been the Number Street School's trip to the
production set of Sesame Street. It was not the
chance to meet Big Bird and Snufflupagus that had
everyone excited. Even 'though they only played
occasional bit parts, it was the children who appear
on Sesame Street that were really fascinating. The
numbers had studied children in school, of course.
They had even seen numbers dressed up as children
in parades and at shopping centers. But nobody had
actually met a child, and it was hard to think of them
as real, not like real numbers.
One of the children gave a great present to the
Number Street School. It was a huge book full of
fairy tales. In most of the stories in this book, there
were a king and queen. Since these stores were so
popular, Number 7 decided to tell a story called
"The King and Queen of Number Street" at his
birthday party.
Every day in July, Number 7 checked the calendar
29
in his kitchen to see how many days were left until
his birthday. Then he checked the calendar in his
dining room. Then he checked the calendar in his
living room. Then he checked the calendars in his
bedroom, his study, his guest room, and even in his
bathroom.
At last, the big day came. Number 7 set out seven
chairs around the specially built heptagonal table in
his dining room. He rolled up his seven rugs to get
ready for the dancing. He straightened the seven
picture calendars on his walls, and the menorah on
his mantelpiece. Finally, the guests arrived and sat
down to listen to Number 7's story, "The King and
Queen of Number Street." This is how it went.
Once upon a time, the numbers on Number Street
decided they should have a king and queen.
30
Everyone agreed that this was a splendid idea. The
king and queen could lead the Founder's Day parade,
start the dancing at the annual ball, and greet
important visitors. These are the sort of things that
kings and queens do these days.
What was not so easy to agree on was who should be
king and queen. Of course, Number 100 was
suggested. Number 100's mansion would be great
for entertaining. But Number 2 had sponsored a
careful reading of the fairy tales in the Evenist
Group. She maintained that if Number 100 was to
be Queen, then she should have a prince as a
consort, not a king. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth
it for her to resign as mayor to become Queen.
Others objected that Number 100 hadn't done a
very good job of handling the Magic Multiplier crisis.
So they decided it would have to be someone else.
Number 17 was the vice president of the Prime
Numbers Club. He suggested that Number 1,001
should be King and Number 1,000 should be
Queen. It was decided that Number 1 was too far
removed from the everyday life of Number Street.
Who can actually remember having seen 1,001? And
then there was the time that Number 1,000 went
completely bananas after stepping out of the wrong
door of Number 9's limousine. She was completely
irrational. It took forever to convince her to get back
in and go out the right door, but more about such
things with be heard at Number 9's birthday party.
31
Someone even suggested that Number 1,000,000
should be Queen. When she flew in for Founder's
Day and got out of the wrong door of Number 9's
limousine, she was calm and collected and perfectly
rational. She just went back in and came out the
correct door with all her fancy jewelry and furs and
not a hair out of place. "But think of the air fares,
and next Founder's Day is on Friday the
Thirteenth," said Number 13. "Nobody should fly
on Friday the Thirteenth." Number 7 thought this
was foolish superstition. Any day was as good as any
other on his calendar (and on his other calendar, and
on his other calendar . . .). But Number 1,000,000
was far too busy managing her overseas investments.
It probably wasn't even worth the trouble of sending
a fax to ask her.
Then Number 11 got up to say his piece. Number
11 was the president of the Prime Numbers Club and
an important lender in the business of Number
Street. Everyone had great respect for the opinions
of Number 11. Well, everyone but Number 2 and
some of the other members of the Evenist Group,
that is. Number 2 refused to attend meetings of the
Prime Number Club, even 'though she was eligible
to be a member. She objected to the fact that
nobody else on her side of the street was eligible to
join, and thought the club was too exclusive. [They
were also secretive. Every once in a while the name
of another member way off in the back of beyond
would be made public, but still nobody knew who all
the members were.] Nevertheless, Number 2 had to
32
admit that what Number 11 said made a lot of
sense.
Number 11 started his speech by reminding
everyone about the legend of Founder's Day. In the
beginning, goes the legend, there was only Number
1, and the + sign. Then, one day when Number 1
was beside himself with loneliness, an = sign
appeared, and Number 2 was created to keep
Number 1 company. [This was before anyone had
even thought of Evenism.] Then there was
1+2=3
and
1+3=4
and all of the other numbers were generated in the
same way.
Remember also the Magic Multiplier Crisis. Remember
how Number 0 sat bravely alone through the night
on the mayor's lawn, waiting for the Magic Multiplier
to come by and get rid of those extra cans of
garbage. Do you remember that? Remember how
Number 1 hopped up and down Number Street
night after night to keep us safe from the Magic
Multiplier's mischief.
["Yes," said Number 7 excitedly, "the multiplicative
identity is by far the best choice to be crowned King
of Number Street!" Hardly anyone could even
33
pronounce "multiplicative identity," much less figure
out what it meant. "What's a mummy detective
penny?" asked a small voice. Number 7 made it his
business to keep track of important events. "When
Number 1 was standing next to something and the
Magic Multiplier came by, it was multiplied by one and
stayed exactly the same. Exactly the same, identical,
get it -- multiplicative identity."
Number 2 piped in. "Remember that Number 0 is
the additive identity. When numbers start to get
carried away at an Adding Bee, Number 0 steps in
and calms things down. Remember when Number 3
and Number 5 didn't want to stop at eight.
Number 0 stepped in with
8+0=8
8+0=8
.
.
.
until everyone settled down."]
So it was unanimous. All the members of the Prime
Numbers Club and the Evenist Group and everyone
else agreed that Number 0 and Number 1 would be
crowned Queen and King of Number Street [--in
that order, to keep Number 2 happy]. They would
34
lead the Founder's Day Parade and open the annual
ball and receive important visitors.
Of course, Number 1 liked Number 7's story
tremendously. Number 1 always thought himself
too tall and awkward and a bit out of place. The idea
that Number 1 was crowned King of Number Street
in Number 7's story really appealed to him.
Number 0 was too shy to say what she thought of
Number 7's story. But Number 2 could guess that
Number 0 was pleased everyone wanted to know
her opinion.
Then Number 7 brought out his great surprise. He
had made two golden crowns, one for Number 0
and one for Number 1. They each picked their
partners ( Number 7 and Number 6 ) and started
the dance. Soon all the guests were dancing, until
they were completely exhausted and sat down for
birthday cake. Number 0 didn't eat any, but
Number 2 was glad to have Number 0's piece.
Then they all walked home in the warm summer
night. Number 7 marked off another day on each of
his seven calendars, and soon fell fast asleep.
35
Chapter 8
It was a scorching hot summer day on Number
Street. It was the Eighth of August, Number 8's
birthday. About this time of year, Number 8 was
already beginning to think about the start of school.
She was sitting outside in her gazebo, drinking a tall,
cool glass of eight-juice punch. [Number 8 made
this punch herself from fresh local fruit, and it was
much better than the frozen citrus mix that
Number 5 bought at the Seven-Eleven store.]
Number 8 is a crossing guard at the Number Street
School. She also teaches traffic safety and runs the
safety patrol program. Chiseled above the door of
her octagonal house is the motto, "Stop, look, and
listen." Her octagon-shaped garage is full of lollipop
stop signs for the safety patrol. On her kitchen
curtains is a pattern of stop signs and the words,
"Stop before you leave. Did you remember to turn
off the gas?"
Now Number 8 had to stop thinking about the new
school year and concentrate on this evening's
birthday party. She liked the new custom of telling
stories before the dancing at birthday parties. She
36
decided to tell the story of how the Devious Divider
was stopped dead in his tracks.
Before everyone arrived, Number 8 rolled up her
octagonal oriental carpet, arranged eight chairs
around her octagonal table, and set out an eight
sided birthday cake and a lollipop on each of the
eight stop signs she had made into plates. [She didn't
set out a plate for Number 0. At the last "explore
your feelings" session at the Evenist Group,
Number 0 had finally made it clear everyone that
she actually preferred not having a place set for her.
Then she didn't have to test her will power and go
through the embarrassment of turning down an
offer of birthday cake. While Number 8 was
generally thought to "cut a fine figure" herself,
especially in her ice skating outfit, the last thing she
wanted to do was to embarrass one of her closest
friends.]
After they were handed a glass of eight-juice punch,
all of the guests gathered around to hear Number
8's story. [Only the occasional tinkling of ice
octahedrons in the glasses interrupted the hushed
silence as she began.]
This is the story of a crisis on Number Street that
could have been much more serious than the
appearance of the Magic Multiplier. It all started when
members of the Evenist Group went to see the
mayor about supporting her in the next election. The
mayor said she was trying to get everyone to cut
37
down to setting out only one can of garbage a week,
but it was hard to get people to cooperate. Number
2 left last, and on her way out she noticed that the
mayor herself had set out two cans of garbage for
the garbage haulers to pick up the next morning.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure stepped out from behind
a tree, breezed by, and disappeared behind another
tree. When Number 2 looked around, there was
only one garbage can on the curb.
Whenever anything really peculiar happened,
Number 2 went to see her friend, Number 6.
Number 6 answered the door in a long black skirt
and a black satin blouse, with a broom in her hand.
"I was just about to sweep the front porch," she said,
looking a bit sheepish. "Come on in."
When Number 2 explained what had happened,
Number 6 asked her whether she had changed her
clothes since. Number 2 said that she had come
right over and hadn't had time to change clothes.
"Just as I thought," said Number 6. Number 2 was
wearing
her
special
[Audrey
Hepburn
commemorative] tee-shirt, the one the said "Tea for
2" on the back, with prints of china tea cups all over.
Number 6 told her friend that the furtive figure she
had just run into was the dreaded Devious Divider.
Whenever the Devious Divider sees a number next
to something, it divides it by that number. The
Devious Divider didn't usually stay in one place very
long. Hopefully, it would just go away.
38
A few days later, Number 2 went out for an early
morning walk to get some exercise before it got too
hot. It was recycling day, and bright green recycling
buckets were set out on the curb in front of almost
every house. Suddenly, behind a tree, Number 2
caught a glimpse of someone wearing a tee-shirt with
a sign on the back like this
÷
It was the Devious Divider! She yelled out, "Hey,"
and ran after it, but it kept just ahead of her, darting
from one tree to another, and then was nowhere to
be found. "Oh my goodness," whispered Number 2
to herself. "What have I done?" Number 2 turned
around, expecting to see all the trees sliced in half, or
every other one missing. But there was no sign of
any damage.
That evening at the recycling center, there was
terrible consternation. The recycling center relied on
selling aluminum to make enough money to pick up
glass and newspaper, so that there wouldn't be so
much garbage. But today, there was only half as
much aluminum as usual. Stranger still, some of the
aluminum cans were sliced in half.
The pickup crew was asked if they knew what had
happened. The crew said it was very strange, but
everyone seemed to have half as many cans as usual.
When the mayor threw a party, like she did almost
every week, you could bet there would be about 100
39
cans in her recycling buckets. But this time there
were only about 50. Houses that usually set out 20
cans had only 10. In some buckets there were cans
cut clean in half. One bucket had 3 1/2 cans and
another had 5 1/2. Number 7, for example, always
drank one can of Seven-Up every day of the week.
His recycling bucket had 3 1/2 Seven-Up cans in it.
If all of this happened again, the recycling center
could be in serious trouble.
[Again, there were letters to the editor and a public
hearing and a city council meeting.] Number 0
volunteered to help solve this problem like she did
the last one, but Number 6 pointed out that this
was a terrible idea. Just think if the Devious Divider
came by and tried to find out how many zeros it
40
would take to make up even one pop can. First he
might try ten times, but ten times zero is only zero,
which is less than one. Then he would try 100 times,
but that still wouldn't be enough. Then he would try
1,000... The results would be infinitely worse than
what happened when he divided things by two, or by
1/2, or by 1/10, or by even 1/100 or 1/1,000...
Finally, it occurred to everyone that the solution was
just about the same as when they had trouble with
the Magic Multiplier. Number 1 would patrol
Number Street every night. When the Devious
Divider came by and divided something into one
part instead of two or more, the results would be just
what he started with. Eventually, the Devious
Divider would get tired of this and go away.
Unfortunately, this wasn't decided until the day after
the mayor dedicated the new rose garden in the park
on Number Street, everyone's favorite picnic spot.
At great expense, two hundred hybrid rose bushes
had been planted in the park. The mayor left her car
by the rose garden to walk over to a restaurant
dinner with some members of the Prime Number
Club after the dedication. That's right, it was the car
with the license plate that says "100 MAYOR" on it.
What do you think they found when they came back
from the restaurant? Yes, there were only two lonely
rose bushes left. The Devious Divider had done one
last dastardly deed.
After this story, Number 8 put on an "oldies but
41
goodies" [Aretha Franklin] album with her favorite
song, "Stop in the Name of Love." Every time the
song came to those words, Number 8 would hold
up her lollipop stop sign. Everyone would freeze for
a second, and then go on dancing. It was great fun.
Then they all sat down for birthday cake. When
Number 2 was about to put another piece on her
plate, she saw the big letters saying STOP, and even
decided she could do without a second piece.
After everyone had gone home, Number 8 cleaned
up and crawled into bed with her favorite book,
"The Numbers on Number Street." She wanted to
read past Chapter 8, but she was so tired that she
just couldn't stop herself from falling asleep.
42
Chapter 9
It was the Ninth of September, a beautiful late
summer's day for a drive down Number Street and
out into the country, thought Number 9. Number
9's passion is old cars. His pride and joy is an old
flatbed truck that he had converted into a luxury
stretch limousine. He had it specially made for the
members of the Squares Club. The limousine has a
very smooth ride and its own bar stocked with
plenty of ice, and plenty of the Squares Club
members' favorite drink: root beer. The members of
the Squares Club like nothing better on a hot day
than to take a long drive past country mansions in
their air conditioned limousine while sipping on ice
cold glasses of root beer. So Number 9 named his
favorite car the "Square Root Limousine."
The Ninth of September is Number 9's birthday,
and Number 9 had a very special day planned. First,
Number 4, Number 16, Number 25, Number 36,
Number 49, Number 64, Number 81, and the
mayor were going to accompany him to pick up
Number 10,000 at the State Capitol building. Then
they would drive back to the Number Street Park to
dedicate the new playing logs that the Squares Club
43
had donated. After a picnic in the park, there would
be a smaller party with a tic tac toe tournament and
square dancing at Number 9's house. Finally, there
would be a cake provided by the best birthday cake
baker on Number Street, Number 4.
On the way out of town, the Squares Club members
recalled the strange times they had when the Square
Root Limousine first drove up Number Street.
Almost everyone wanted to have a look at its
luxurious interior. Of course, they hung an
important warning sign on the doors. It said: "Be
sure to exit out of the same door you came in."
Now Number 0 and Number 1 didn't pay any
attention to the warning sign. They went in the right
side and came out the left, and nothing out of the
ordinary happened. Number 2 peeked in the righthand door, said she wasn't particularly impressed,
44
and popped back out. Number 3 heard that there
were no desert forks in the bar and didn't even
bother to look. When Number 4 went in the right
hand side and Number 2 emerged briefly out of the
left, everybody thought it was her cousin from out of
town, since Number 2 was still chatting with
Number 3 on the other side of the limousine.
Number 5 was out of town at a play, and Number
6 was very careful never to go near the Square Root
Limousine.
The trouble started when Number 7 went in the
right hand door and got turned around while
hanging up his present, a calendar. Coming out of
the left hand door by mistake, he got hung up in one
of the wardrobe clothes hangers. He came out
looking like this
_
√7
with the clothes hanger completely stretched out of
shape, and with him tangled up in it. Try as he
might, Number 7 couldn't get rid of it. He panicked,
and his actions became absurd and irrational.
Luckily, Number 8 came up to him, yelled "Stop!"
and quietly but firmly pushed him back in the door,
where he got untangled and emerged safely out the
other side.
At this point, Number 9 stepped up to address the
assembled crowd and explain the secret of the
45
Square Root Limousine. He calmly climbed in the
right hand door, closed it, and stepped out the left
hand door, looking for all the world exactly like
Number 3. Then he went back in the left hand
door, dosed it, and stepped out the right hand door-reemerging again as that good old square, Number
9. Number 9 emphasized that only perfect squares
like himself and Number 4 should try to perform
this trick. If anybody else tried it, they would have
the same trouble as Number 7 did.
But then why, someone asked, didn't anything
happen to Number 0 or Number 1? Can you figure
out why?
The answer is
0x0=0
so
1x1=1
so
2x2=4
so
3x3=9
so
_
√0 = 0
_
√1 = 1
_
√4 = 2
_
√9 = 3
This is why something happened to Number 4 (had
anyone noticed) and also to Number 9 when they
went through the Square Root Limousine. But
nothing happened to Number 0 and Number 1.
46
From then on, only members of the Squares Club
were supposed to ride in the Square Root
Limousine. There was just too much danger that
others would forget, go out the wrong door, and get
too crazy to find their way back.
Even more amazing things happened at the Number
Street Park on the way back from this trip. It all
started because Number 9 was on the Park District
Board, since he loved to root for the home team at
the baseball games in the park. But the story of what
was donated to the park will have to wait for
Number 11's birthday party.
At Number 9's birthday party, Number 0 danced
with Number 9, Number 1 danced with Number
8, and Number 7 danced with Number 2. Who
danced with Number 6? And who danced with
Number 5? Each couple took turns resting and
doing the calling for the square dance, while the
others danced. Because everybody got rest breaks,
they were able to dance late into the night. By the
time they were sated with Number 4's exquisite
birthday cake, the longer nights signaling the
approach of fall had brought a nip of chill into the
air to cool their walk home.
Number 9 squared things up as best he could, and
climbed into his square bed under his nine-check
summer quilt and tried to get to sleep. But the day
had been so full of excitement that he just tossed
and turned. Finally, Number 9 did what all the
47
numbers on Number Street do when they can't
sleep. He envisioned a huge flock of sheep that
stretched out as far as the mind's eye could see. On
each white sheep was painted a bright colored
number. Each numbered sheep had to jump over a
turnstile in turn. 1,2,3,4,5... Soon Number 9 was
fast, fast, asleep.
48
Chapter 10
It was the Tenth of October, and the leaves were
beginning to change color on the trees along
Number Street. The leaves weren't the only thing
that would change this day on Number Street,
thought Number 10. Her birthday party today was
going to change Number Street so that it would
never be the same again!
Number 10 baked an extra-large birthday cake that
morning. Even 'though she had a large house, she
stored some of the furniture and all of the rugs in
the basement in preparation for the dance. She was
sure that several members of the Prime Number
Club who had never been to one of her birthday
parties would be surprised to get her invitations. She
was also sure they would come, because they knew
that Number 10 was a particularly close friend of the
mayor. Number 10 had also gone personally to
invite Number 15, and some new members of the
Evenist Group were coming too. This was going to
be quite a party.
When all the guests were assembled, the president
and vice president of the Prime Number Club and a
49
couple of their friends looked around in total
amazement. Can you guess why? If you can't, then
listen to the speech that Number 10 gave on this
occasion.
About a thousand years ago, my friends, Number 1
and Number 0 joined hands together near what is
now the site of a famous mosque in a far distant
land. They formed the symbol we now use to write
Number 10. This was a monumental day in the
history of Numberdom. It set numbers free from the
tyranny of the alphabet, in which the use of Roman
numerals had imprisoned them.
But to this day, we have lived with another injustice.
I'm not talking about the exclusiveness of the Prime
Number Club or of the Square Numbers and their
50
silly limousine. I am not even talking of the endless
divisions between the even and odd numbers, which
have sometimes been multiplied all out of
proportion. I am talking here about the gap which
separates the negative and positive numbers. This
gap is far narrower than many have made it out to
be. Indeed, the distance between Number 1 and -1
is no greater than that between me and my beloved
next door neighbors.
[The negative numbers play an important role in our
society. When times are hard and jobs are scarce, it is
a good idea to spend more than we take in. This
means there is more money to pay for more jobs.
How would we write our balance sheets in these
times without negative numbers. We shouldn't
blame them if we forget to make positive balances
when times are better.
Earlier, when we thought the places negative
numbers lived in didn't look good, we tore them
down without building enough new places for them
to live. So they lived in basements and cellars and
abandoned wells. Some of these they have turned
into energy efficient homes, from which we have
much to learn. Now we realize some of these old
mistakes, but we still haven't set things right.]
Think about how we teach about negative numbers
in school. For years they were almost completely
ignored, as if they didn't matter in our society. The
greatest insult was the way we viewed subtraction.
51
Now we all know that subtracting a positive number
is the same thing as adding a negative number. To
keep negative numbers hidden away as much as
possible, we taught subtraction as if it were
something different from addition.
At this party, negative and positive numbers alike
have been invited. [Of course, there are still more
positive than negative numbers here, but I myself am
positive. If I go to negative numbers' birthday
parties, I expect the table will be turned.]
So here is the line-up for the dance tonight:
-9 + 19
-8 + 18
-7 + 17
-6 + 16
-5 + 15
-4 + 14
-3 + 13
-2 + 12
-1 + 11
0 + 10
1+9
2+8
3+7
4+6
5+5
We are especially pleased that Number 5's cousin
made such a long and dangerous journey from his
far away hamlet to be with us. [The two of them
make a heroic couplet.] Now let the music begin.
Well, they danced longer than had ever been danced
52
at a party on Number Street. Then every last crumb
of the huge birthday cake got eaten. As Number 10
fell asleep very late that night, she whispered to
herself: "Number Street will never be the same again.
[The times, they are a changin'.]"
53
Chapter 11
For many, the Eleventh of November is just a day
for raking leaves and reviving old memories of a
tragic story about large numbers. But on Number
Street, this day is the birthday of the president of the
Prime Numbers Club. [Number 10 was only partly
right about the changes taking place on Number
Street, as it turns out. In the story of this day, there is
barely a mention of -1 and the other negative
numbers. There's a good reason for this, but we can't
even begin to talk about it until you know what
happened at Number 12's birthday party. So let's
not get ahead of ourselves. First, let's listen to the
remarkable story that was told at Number 11's
birthday party.]
Two things happened to Number 11 that were
beginning to change his point of view about life on
Number Street. One was seeing what a great time
everybody had at Number 10's birthday party.
Number 11 had gained a new respect for -1 and the
other negative numbers. He regretted that he had
been so snooty and ignored them so often in the
past.
54
The other thing was what Number 11 saw, or at
least thought he was, when he walked over to watch
the Squares Club dedicate their present to the
Number Street Park earlier that year. The Square
Numbers Club had given nine very special logs to
the Park District to be placed in the park. They ran
in length from two meters long to ten meters long.
They were hollow and smooth inside. They were
placed on a hill so they could be used as slides. They
looked like great fun.
The dedication was quite an event. Not only had
Number 10,000 come back with the Squares Club
from the state capital. Number 100,000 came to
represent the Department of the Interior, and
Number 1,000,000 flew in from overseas for the
occasion. They have a special name on Number
Street for numbers that are thought to be very
important. They call them "the powers that be."
Number 10 and Number 100 had a different point
of view about these numbers, but from either point
of view, these were definitely "the powers that be."
55
After speeches by "the powers that be," there was a
huge and sumptuous picnic served on spreads
provided by the even numbers in the Square
Numbers Club, who were still the best makers of
patchwork quilts. There was so much good food that
everyone fell asleep afterwards. As he sat half asleep
in the sunshine on a park bench, Number 11 saw
Number 6 on another bench, reading softly to
herself from a large and ancient looking leatherbound book. This is what Number 11 saw, or at
least thought he saw.
The mayor, Number 100 had set out a special quilt
for "the powers that be," just above the ten meter
log, near the crest of the hill. With her were
Number 10, Number 1,000, Number 10,000 from
the state capital, Number 100,000 from the
Department of the Interior, and Number 1,000,000.
Number 1,000,000 was lying on her fur coat, since
it was far too hot to wear it. While everyone was
dozing in the sunshine, the smooth, slick fur started
to slide downhill, into the ten meter log, the one that
had log10 written on it.
Well, she slipped, and slipped, and finally
disappeared into the log. After a while, as Number 6
looked on from her park bench and chuckled, a tiny
number 6 slid out the other end of the log, still fast
asleep. What's more, Number 1,000,000's jewelry
had caught the corner of the quilt, and the other
powers that be were being dragged into the log as
well. Number 100,000 disappeared into the end of
56
the log, soon to appear as a tiny number 5 out the
other end. Number 10,000 went in, only to emerge
as a tiny number 4. A bit after Number 1,000 went
in the top, a little number 3 came out the bottom.
The mayor came out as a little number 2. Number
10 slid in on the corner of the long quilt and came
out the bottom as a tiny number 1, also still asleep.
Then something even more amazing happened.
Number 6 read some more, wriggled her long nose,
and shortly Number 11 noticed that there were
even more ants around than usual for a picnic. The
ants did something absolutely incredible. To what
sounded like the rhythm of the beat of a tiny little
drum, Number 11 heard countless little voices
calling out "Yo oh heave ho; yo oh heave ho," Then
the quilt started moving back up into the log. The
tiny numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 disappeared back
into it one by one. Then out the top came Number
10, Number 100, Number 1,000, Number 10,000,
Number 100,000, and Number 1,000,000, just as if
nothing had happened. [After that Number 11
thought of Number 1,000,000 as just a fancy
Number 10 except with six zeros, like 106.]
Down the line of the new logs, something similar
was happening. Members of the Squares Club were
dozing on smaller quilts along the hill, just above the
logs that had log2, log3, log4, and so forth, written on
them. Next to each member of the Squares Club was
a member of the Cubists Art Appreciation Club.
They were invited because they had donated a
57
climbing sculpture as part of their Art in the Park
program. On the quilt above the two meter long
were Number 4 and Number 8. Above the one
labeled log3 were Number 9 and Number 27.
Above log4 were Number 16 and Number 64.
One by one, their quilts slid through the logs. Out
the bottom of each log came tiny numbers 2 and 3.
Then, to faster rhythms, ants pulled each quilt back
through, and the members of the Squares Club and
the Cubist Art Appreciation Club came back out of
the top as if nothing had happened. After watching
all of this, Number 6 closed her big leather-bound
book and walked away in her black sun dress. Then
everybody gradually woke up.
The astonished Number 11 went straight to see his
neighbor, Number 13. "I always thought you were a
superstitious old codger," said Number 11, but I just
saw something you might be able to explain. Have
you, by any chance, heard anyone chanting "yo oh
heave ho" in a park. "Sure," replied Number 13
'That's the logarithm. It's sung by a special species of
ants. They're the antilogarithms."
Number 11 told this whole story to the guests at his
birthday party that rainy November evening. He
explained how impressed he was that the powers
that be could so easily be made so small. He said that
he and some other members of the Prime Numbers
Club hadn't been involved enough in helping the
ordinary numbers on Number Street. They had
58
decided to volunteer help in the Number Street
School. They thought they might be of special help
in teaching about something called fractions, but
we'll have to return to that some other time.
Number 11's birthday party was a truly joyous
occasion. The members of the Prime Number Club
found they could have a lot more fun if they weren't
so exclusive and stand-offish. Everyone had a great
time dancing. Of course, the party ended with
consumption of Number 11's birthday cake, and
then a silent moment of remembrance for events of
long ago.
After everyone left, Number 11 folded up the flag
he flew that day and turned out the lights in the
eleven rooms of his big house. Later, Number 11 sat
in bed, counting up the money he would make when
all his new friends starting shopping at the chain of
stores he ran with his partner, Number 7. He soon
fell fast and very happily asleep.
59
Chapter 12
It was the Twelfth of December, and a cold and
thick winter fog had settled over Number Street. It
was time for Number 12's birthday party. This was
usually the event of the year on Number Street.
Number 12 was having a hard time concentrating
on getting ready for her party. That afternoon, she
had a harrowing experience. It was all because of
clocks. Number 12 has more clocks than
Number 3 has forks or Number 7 has
calendars. In each of the twelve rooms of her
house there are twelve clocks: wall clocks, mantel
clocks, alarm clocks, grandfather clocks, sand
clocks, and water clocks. Number 12 carries
two pocket watches, two wrist watches, a purse
clock, six ring watches; and she has a talking digital
pocket calculator that tells time.
Number 12 had ordered a special limousine clock
for presentation to the Squares Club on the
occasion of her birthday. When she got into the
Square Root Limousine, she should have learned her
lesson from what happened earlier to Number 7.
But Number 12 was so absorbed in admiring
60
the shiny new clock that she went out the wrong
door and got tangled up in one of the wardrobe
hangers. She came out totally confused and
irrational, looking like this
_
√12
She was absolutely panicked, and nothing could
convince her to go back in and come out the other
door.
As luck would have it, Number 6 was
walking nearby with Number 2 and
Number 3. This is what Number 6 did. First,
she convinced Number 3 to walk through the
limousine, and he came out looking like this
_
√3
Then the Magic Multiplier appeared in broad daylight
and there were flashes that looked like this
_____
√ 3 x 12
and this
__
√ 36
and then only Number 6 and Number 2 were to be
seen, standing next to each other.
61
The Magic Multiplier appeared again, between
Number 6 and Number 2, and suddenly
Number 12 was there again, a little shaken but
completely unharmed. Finally, the Devious Divider
replaced the Magic Multiplier between Number 6 and
Number 2, and Number 3 reappeared, as right as
rain.
Number 12 thanked Number 6 from the bottom
of her heart. Number 6 warned her to be more
careful next time. Number 12 said that she
completely lost her head when she went out the
wrong door. She just couldn't think straight.
Number 6 explained that Number 12 had become
irrational when she went out the wrong door. Only
numbers who were perfect squares could pass
through the Square Root Limousine without
becoming irrational. To figure out you are a
number that can go through the Square Root
Limousine without becoming irrational, this is what
you have to do. You have to think of a number which
you can multiply by itself to make you. Like
6 x 6 = 36
So Number 36 can go through the Square Root
Limousine and come out the other side looking like
Number 6. Since this doesn't make her irrational, she
can simply turn around and walk through the other
way, turning back into Number 36. But for any other
numbers to walk through the Square Root Limousine can
be very dangerous.
62
You would think that from this disaster Number 9
would have learned his lesson about who to invite
for a ride. But later that day, he decided to take a
goodwill trip amongst his new found friends on the
negative end of Number Street. He invited -1 to go
along with him. After a while, the winter fog got so
thick, they couldn't see a thing. They drove back up the
street, deeply absorbed in discussion about the best ways to
finish the job of bringing the negative numbers into their
rightful place in the life of Number Street. They were so
engrossed in this talk that neither of them noticed
when -1 got out the wrong door when they
stopped between his place and Number 1's house.
Number 9 quickly hopped out and peered up and
down Number Street, but -1 was nowhere to be found.
Then he heard a sound off to the side, on the other
side of the limousine. Number 9 had never given
any thought to what might be over there. The life up
and down Number Street was all he had ever paid much
notice to.
Dimly, in the fog, Number 9 thought he could see
another street lined with houses. A voice from in
front of the first house called out to him. "What are
you looking for?" The cold was getting to Number
9, and he started to shiver. "I'm looking for -1,”
said Number 9. He got out of the wrong door of
the Square Root Limousine, and I can't imagine what has
happened to him." "That's the trouble," said the voice.
"You have to use your imagination. Just imagine a
number that you can multiply by itself to get -1." You
63
mean I have to think of an imaginary number?" asked
Number 9. "That's right," said the voice in the fog, "just
imagine it."
So Number 9 imagined as hard as he could. Imagine a
number you can multiply by itself to get minus one.
Otherwise -1 will be lost in the fog forever. It's not so
hard, just help imagine it.
Suddenly, the door of the limousine opened. Just
before it closed, Number 9 thought he saw a little
dot hovering above it. Then out the other side
popped -1. "I must have fallen asleep. I just had the
strangest dream," he said. "So did I," said Number
9. "I think."
64
There wasn't a lot of dancing at Number 12's
birthday party that evening. The numbers kept sitting
down to talk about Number 12's story of the events
of the day. First, Number 3 and Number 9
found a quiet corner to talk. They had been
particularly touched by these events. Then Number
4 and Number 8 dropped out of the dance,
Number 5 and Number 7, and the rest,
until only Number 6 was left dancing with her
cousin, their long black dresses whirling back and
forth.
Some thought that the story of the cross street of
imaginary numbers was a fairy tale. It couldn't
possibly be. Others asked, "Have you ever really
looked to see if it's there?" Over birthday cake, the
conversation turned to what else might lie on the Great
Plains where they lived. Were there other cross streets
too, besides the one that Number 9 had caught a
glimpse of in his mind's eye. This idea was too
complex for some, but others thought it had great
possibilities.
[Whether you have read these Number Street stories
or had them read to you, never underestimate the
power of your imagination. All of the things that
happened on Number Street can be alive for you, if
only you let numbers become real for you. When you see
a column of numbers or a math problem, think of
Number 3's desert forks, Number 7’s calendars,
Number 8's stop signs, and Number 12's clocks.
Think of the limousine, the magic logs, and
65
Number 6's leather-bound book. When these
things have become real to you, then don't be afraid
to use your imagination. Then nothing in the
wonderful world of numbers need be too complex for
you.]
Number 12 though of all these things as she sank into
her favorite couch after the party. [It was a specially
built couch with twelve cushions, that she had
affectionately named "Cauchy-couch."] Perhaps
we'll return to visit her again one day. For now,
we'll let her imagination be lulled into dreams by the
soft ticking of her docks, while she falls fast, fast,
asleep.
66
Afterword
The Number Street collection is based on bedtime stories I told my
children during their early years. I had long wanted to write
these stories down so other children might enjoy them, but my jobs
on the Engineering Faculty at the University of Illinois and as an
Alderman on the Urbana City Council kept me too busy. Then, in the
Summer of 1993, we rented a house in the dunes on the eastern shore
of Lake Michigan from a mathematics professor. I wrote these
stories during the day, and was pleased to find that my children and
their friend loved to hear them at bed time, although the girls
were already eleven years old.
Many of our best children's stories have something for all
ages, including the adults who sometimes have to read them over
and over. The light-hearted satire in the Number Street stories
grows out of my own experience with the City Council and my
niche in society, and it undoubtedly lacks the universal appeal of more
widely read works. Still, I hope that some adults will enjoy the stories
too.
Almost every parent has learned the art of "skipping" when reading
bedtime stories--and almost every child has learned to catch them at
it. You might get away with it for a while if you skip the same
parts each time when reading to younger children. Some
suggestions for this are marked out [in square brackets] in the stories.
The Number Street stories may also be good for school
libraries and for classroom use in the elementary grades,
perhaps even in middle school for the later stories. I find my
children asking questions afterwards about things that intrigued
them but went by too fast. Not all these questions are easy to
answer. I'll try to respond to any correspondence requesting
suggestions for dealing with questions like: "Why couldn't Number
0 patrol the street when the Devious Divider was in town?"
Clifford E. Singer
67
The Number Street Game
In the Number Street Game, each player starts from
Number 0’s house, parties at Number 1 through
Number 12's houses, and then takes -1 for a ride in the
Square Root Limousine to Imaginary Street. To play
the game, you need a pair of dice, a deck of cards with the
kings taken out and sorted into suits, and a button or other
marker for each player. Decide who goes first by one round
of rolling dice. Then each player starts rolling the dice in turn
to go to each house up the street. You don't have to
reach houses by an exact number, but your extra steps
are lost when you enter a house (or enter the Square Root
Limousine toward the end of the game). When you enter
your first house, select a suit and take the number for that
house from the deck (11=Jack and 12=Queen). Then roll the
dice again, replace the # sign in the directions in the house by
that number, and see if this gives you exactly -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12. If it does, go to that house, take that
card if you don't already have it, and roll again. You can
keep on moving until you don't get an exact number;
then you give the dice to the person on your left.
When you have all of the cards, visit -1's basement
apartment, and then roll until you get up the driveway
to the Square Root Limousine at Number 9's house.
On your next turn, follow the trail of square root signs to
the i on Imaginary Street. Anyone who has picked up all
of their cards and visited -1's house afterwards can
get in the Square Root Limousine with you and be a winner
too, if they can get to it from a place on a sidewalk or
68
crosswalk next to where it is stopped.
Hints: It's best not to visit Number l's house too late
once you can be sure to get sent somewhere else useful
from there when you roll the dice. You don't have to
visit -2's cellar unless you get sent there, but you have
a good chance of getting to the houses of Number 4,
Number 5, or Number 6, from -2's. You're
not allowed to jaywalk; you can cross the street only
at marked crosswalk Here is a table of where to go
from each house:
69
Roll: 2
3
4
5
From:
-2:
-1:
0:
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12:
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
6
7
*
8
4
*
*
*
*
*
3
*
2
3
*
7
8
*
9
*
*
3
*
*
*
*
3
1
2
*
8
9
*
10
5
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
0
1
*
Go to
0
1
*
2
1
6
*
*
*
9
1
*
8
9
6
1
2
*
3
*
9
*
*
*
10
*
*
7
8
4
2
3
*
4
2
12
2
*
*
11
2
2
6
7
3
3
4
*
5
*
*
*
*
*
12
*
*
5
6
*
4
5
*
6
3
*
*
1
*
*
*
*
4
5
2
5
6
*
7
*
*
*
*
1
*
*
*
3
4
*
70
9
10
*
11
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
-1
0
*
10
11
*
12
6
*
*
2
*
*
*
*
-2
-1
1
Lead-in music for public readings
Chapter 1: All the Lonely People
Chapter 2: Tea for Two
Chapter 3: The Blue Danube
Chapter 4: Turkey in the Straw
Chapter 5: Greensleeves
Chapter 6: Theme Song from "Bewitched"
Chapter 7: Eight Days a Week
Chapter 8:
Stop, in the Name of Love
Chapter 9: Take me out to the Ball Game
Chapter 10: The Times They are a Changin'
Chapter 11: Yo Oh Heave Ho (Volga Boat Song)
Chapter 12: Imagine
71