Numbers help us put information in context and are an easy way to convey specific details. We need to know if that horse’s price is $2,000 or $20,000, whether he stands 15 hands or 16.3, or if he’s 3 years old or 12. Those numbers are details which help create a mental picture, and help us understand. A 25% discount is better than 10% off. And McDonald’s signs, which used to state the ever-increasing number served, now simply read: “Billions and billions served.”