核心畫面

A number that came out of a division and now stands for how much. In the maths class it is exactly that: twelve shared into fours gives three, and three is the quotient. Outside the maths class the number is imaginary, but the shape survives — a writer names a quality, puts quotient after it, and hands you a dial you can turn up or down. Both uses are the same move: take something spread out and report it as one figure.

可以想成一個從除法裡跑出來的數字,用來回答「有多少」。在數學課裡它就是字面上的那樣:12 分成 4 份,一份是 3,更多收起可以想成一個從除法裡跑出來的數字,用來回答「有多少」。在數學課裡它就是字面上的那樣:12 分成 4 份,一份是 3,這個 3 就是 quotient。走出數學課以後,那個數字其實是想像的,可是形狀留了下來:前面放一個特質,後面接 quotient,讀者就拿到一個刻度盤,可以往上調也可以往下調。兩種用法做的是同一件事——把一團說不清的東西,變成一個可以講的數。

Two branches

除出來的那個數

字面本身:除法的答案有自己的名字,這個字就是那個名字。

noun · B2

The number you get when you divide one number by another. If you divide 12 by 4, the quotient is 3.

商(除出來的數)

拿來當程度的指數

把「一個數字代表有多少」這個形狀借出來用,數字是假的,刻度盤的感覺是真的。

noun · C1

The amount of some quality, feeling or effect that a person, thing or situation has, spoken of as if it could be measured with a number.

指數(程度)