n-category number

In mathematics, the n-category number of a mathematician is a humorous construct invented by Dan Freed^[1], intended to measure the capacity of that mathematician to stomach the use of higher categories. It is defined as the largest number n such that he or she can think about n-categories for a half hour without getting a splitting headache.

See also

• n-category
• Erdős number
• 2-category
• Weak n-category

References

• Tom Leinster (2004). Higher Operads, Higher Categories. Cambridge University Press. http://www.maths.gla.ac.uk/~tl/book.html. 
• Eugenia Cheng, Aaron Lauda (2004). Higher-Dimensional Categories: an illustrated guide book. http://www.cheng.staff.shef.ac.uk/guidebook/index.html. 

1. ^ See This Week's Finds 255.