"The Science Behind Our Superior Perception of Small Numbers"

Neuroscientists have discovered that the human brain has separate mechanisms for perceiving small and large numbers. In a study involving epilepsy patients, researchers found that neurons in the medial temporal lobe fired precisely for numbers 4 and below, but became less precise and fired erroneously for larger numbers. This boundary aligns with the limitations of working memory, suggesting a connection between number perception and attention. The findings challenge the previous belief that the brain has a single mechanism for judging numbers and could have implications for math education and artificial intelligence.