https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EnF-CWLQtcThat the ability to count may be inborn struck me as a boon for people who struggle with math.

"Let's say you're God-awful at math," I asked Brian Butterworth, a University College, London researcher who found that Australian aboriginal kids – their languages free of words for numbers, or even a concept of precise counting – count as well as their English-speaking counterparts. "Does this mean it's not your fault, that you're born that way?"

Not quite.

Numbers, explained Butterworth, aren't the same thing as math.

"There are other aspects of math which don't depend on this capacity," he said.

In fact, he's conducted research on people who are biologically incapable of counting – a phenomena known as dyscalculism.

"I've met mathematicians who I suspect are dyscalculic," said Butterworth.

There you have it: I'm worse at math than people who can't count.

Video: Sesame Street

See Also:

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