What is Arithmancy?

[wildchild123]

What exactly does hermione do in her Arithmancy lessons. Is it something to do with numbers???

[Tanuki]

Arithmancy is the ability to use math to calculate probabilities to come up with a most likely scenario for the future

Anyone ever see the action man cartoon (cg, not animated). He did the same sort of stuff

[Mistress Siana]

Numerology is also a part of it. Every name equals a number and that number determines your character or something like that...

[Tween_Luv]

I always imagined Arithmacy to be just maybe, calculas combined with Spells and everything...has anyone ever wondered if there are any classes to understand spells..as in the mathematics of spells...or the meaning behind them or osmething like that? not charms or anything.but...

[glamourweaver]

Essentially its Wizard Math.


Traditionally "Arithmancy" was divination through mathematic calculation. The same is true for anything ending with "mancy". Necromancy was divination through communication with the dead. Pyromancy was divination through staring into flames. Over time though these terms expanded to encompass any magic within their sphere of influence (Arithmancy is Math-Magic, Necromancy is Death-Magic, Pyromancy is Fire-Magic, Geomancy is Earth-Magic, etc. etc.)

[Fantasy girl]

i agree it is essentially "Wizard Math"

[Tanuki]

Could it have something to do with magical circles and alchemy

[Prof.M.McGonagall]

In my opinion, it's juz mathematics......But erm .... mayb a dey use wands to count n all ...

[SunsetG|rl]

actually acording to the hp-lexicon: "Arithmancy is a branch of magic that is concerned with the magical properties of numbers; someone who practices Arithmancy is called an Arithmancer. For example, in the 1200s, Bridget Wenlock, a famous Arithmancer, discovered the magical properties of the number seven (fw22). An O.W.L. in Arithmancy is required to apply for a curse-breaker's job at Gringotts' (OP29)."

[SunsetG|rl]

sry for the double post...aparently i can't edit here.

Arithmancy is the ability to use math to calculate probabilities to come up with a most likely scenario for the future

this actualy is a very old ideea... trying to guess the future from numbers and maths...even in asimov's books it appears as a new revolutionary new scinece. Arithmancy could be this also... maybe it's the magic of the numbers that make the future predictable through them.

[Tanuki]

Not so much the magic of numbers (but that is one way), it's more like how likely something is and how you can manipulate the numbers to change likelyhoods. As for using it for curse breaking; I understand that very well, since in real life Math can be considered a universal language. 1 + 1 will always equal 2 therefrore you can use that as a baseline when dealing with unknowns

[Asphodel]

I think it is like a "magical math" dealing with magical properties of numbers. Since math is my absolute favorite subject, that is a course I'd like to take!

[Mint]

oh wow...i didn't know Arithmancy was a real word