There's all kinds of ways to look at New York City: cricking your neck up at skyscrapers, watching from a ferry in the harbor or taking in the street-life kaleidoscope on a walk in the Village among them. But those who are mathematically inclined know you can also see things in terms of numbers, shapes, measurements and miscellanea—a fun exercise that will appeal to both kids and algebra majors (and, naturally, fans of ). Here's a quick glance at a few of NYC's numerical curiosities.Some heights and weightsNew York City does big well.32During Hanukkah, the tallest get lit each night in New York City. How tall? Thirty-two feet. Why that number? Twenty cubits (the cubit, an ancient linear measurement, is equal to roughly 19 inches) is the maximum allowed by Jewish law.54That's the number of inches you have to be to ride Coney Island's wooden . (It converts to 4'6"—just in case we've inspired you to measure yourself.)66 to 70½That's the height, in inches, it takes to be a . (In other words, 5'6" to 5'10"-ish.) If you're at the top of that scale, you'll be placed in the center of the line.84That's how many years (including 2016) they've been lighting a tree in . The last 15 Norway spruces to be lit for the holidays have ranged between 71 and 88 feet in height. The tallest Christmas tree on display, in 1999, was 100 feet—and due to the narrowness of the streets in Rock Center, that's close to the maximum it can be.180Feet below street level that you'll find NYC's .1776Yes, it's the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. It's also the total height in feet, including spire, of —the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The spire provides the final 408 feet of the height.2,500Approximate number of steps in the planned public project/artwork/spectacle called , to be designed by Thomas Heatherwick for the Hudson Yards development. Where do they lead? Well, let's just say their main use will be for meeting your daily Fitbit requirements.21,000The weight, in pounds, of the giant blue whale model that hangs from the ceiling in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the . How does the ceiling withstand the weight? Let's let the New York Times .Geometric structuresSpiral: , Upper East SideCubes: (Alamo, Bernard Rosenthal), East Village; (Red Cube, Isamu Noguchi), Broadway; (glass cube designed by Steve Jobs), Fifth AvenueTetrahedron: , Hell's KitchenRight triangle: , Flatiron DistrictPentagon: , BronxAnd, of course, most of Manhattan operates on a .Hip to be squareWhat's in a name? For these public spaces, perhaps something a bit misleading. Athens Square ParkChatham SquareDuffy SquareGreeley SquareHerald SquareLincoln SquareMadison SquarePershing SquareStuyvesant Square*Times Square Tompkins Square ParkUnion SquareWashington Square Park *This public park, which spreads across both sides of Second Avenue, is the only one of these that is actually square.The circle gameWhat comes around goes around.The giant globe set into the lobby floor of the rotates once roughly every 10 minutes.By our count, there are 13 permanent and/or seasonal carousels in the City, the newest of which is the in the Battery (Central Park's has the most horses, at 57).There are two unispheres in the City: the famous one built for the , in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, that stands 120 feet tall; and a much smaller replica in Manhattan at Columbus Circle, about one-quarter of the size.By the way, Columbus Circle is a traffic circle, not a roundabout. There's only in the five boroughs, at Intervale Avenue and Dawson Street, in the Bronx.Addressing some odditiesNavigation can take a few twists and turns.Easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. That's how to remember the address of the : 123 W. 45th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.Crazy eights! On Roosevelt Island, an 1834 octagonal building that was once an entrance to an insane asylum is now part of a residential block known as—what else?—. The address: 888 Main Street. There is a , running for six blocks in Midtown Manhattan.West 4th Street, in Greenwich and East Villages, is parallel to other numbered streets; in the West Village, it actually intersects with West 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Streets—and has a tendency to confuse even longtime New Yorkers (who aren't familiar with the area).If you drive down Flatbush Avenue, where it divides Marine Park and Flatlands, the alphabetized streets take a slightly odd turn. You'll pass Avenues J, K, L, M, P . . . then N.National Museum of Mathematics Finally, a that numbers and patterns can call home. The door handle is in the shape of pi.The main level is known as "Floor 0," the downstairs is -1.The sinks are pentagonal.The wheels on the trikes go round and round, but their .A tale of two parksLet's see how a pair of heavyweights measure up. Green space Central Park Prospect Park Borough Manhattan Brooklyn Designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux Olmsted and Vaux (they were very busy) Year opened 1876 1867 Acres 843 545 Wildest area The Ramble (Central Park's "wild garden"; 36 acres) The Ravine (Brooklyn's only forest; 150 acres) Carousels 1 1 Zoos 1 1 Trees (approximately) 23,000 30,000 Bird species (approximately) 230 250 Skating rinks 2 (SE and NE corners of the park) 2 (in same complex) Playgrounds 21 7 Playgrounds named for Diana Ross 1 0
