What is a Number?

Marc A. Fabbri
Department of Mathematics
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287

Abstract:

It has been stated that the only satisfactory definition of a number is ``an element of a field''. It took Whitehead and Russel 150 pages to arrive at the definition of the number one and Three Dog Night characterized the number two as ``the lonliest number since the number one.''