I figured this is the appropriate board for this type of question that deals with the human mind.
Say I place 20 pencils in one evenly-spaced row, all being parallel to each other. Can anyone explain why it is so easy to lose count after trying to count the first few?
>>1
Because you can only hold outstretched eight fingers before you have to bend them to place the next pencil in line. You lose count getting to ten.
Even worse is if you try to get beyond ten - you need to pull all your fingers in. You can't believe how easy it is to skip back to single digit numbers by accident at this point.
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Anonymous2010-08-14 0:35
>>1
Because you aren't removing them as you count.
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Anonymous2010-08-14 16:01
Alright, since no one is adequately providing an explanation for this gentleman I guess I'll have to step in.
It has to do with conflicting methods of counting.
There are the whole view counting (intuitive) based in the right brain and there is one-by-one counting from the left (analytical). The mind gets confused when you unconsciously switch from one to the other without conscious choice of doing so. Ergo, the count is lost each time the unconscious switch is made.
Also, the analytical one-by-one counting is difficult for the left brain to hold onto for long durations especially over similar objects as with counting. The analytical mind sees similarity as "same" so why count it again? The other side to this issue has to do with focus and concentration. Without concentration, a good strategy to count the objects, and due diligence you're pretty much planning for failure.
I hope that helps open your mind to the nature of the human mind a little. It's amazing because even with what I've explained to you...it's a cookie-cutter version of what really is the case. There's always more to learn.
Check out Brainetics.com. I hear that is a great program for math, counting, memorization, and mental calculations of large and numerous numbers.