The symbol used
for showing the number of items in a set are called numerals. You
would write the number of stars on the right using the numeral 5.
Two thousand years ago the Romans would have used the numeral V.
For example, the
usual decimal representation of whole numbers gives every whole
number a unique representation as a finite sequence of digits, with
the operations of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division) being present as the standard algorithms of arithmetic.
Another example, numerals like 2.31 and 2.310 are taken to be the same,
except in the experimental sciences, where greater precision is
denoted by the trailing zero.
