Two Models od Number Representation. Mental Number Line and Mental Number Cluster

Abstract

The main aim of this article is to present two models that explain how mathematical notions are created in mind - "mental number line" and "mental number cluster". The first one was proposed by Stanislas Dehaene. According to this model, the basis of the simplest mathematical notions is the mental one-axis line, which contains discrete values of natural numbers. The second model was proposed by Wojciech Krysztofiak. In this model the basic mental representation takes the form of a cluster of numerical axes. Both models are presented from a different point of view: the "mental number line" model is presented from the neuroscientific perspective, whereas the "mental number cluster" - from the formal-logic perspective. However, the abstract nature of the former model and the experimental predictions of the latter has allowed us to compare them.