Une superclasse[1] est un groupe de nombres déterminé par la façon dont les humains peuvent les percevoir. Bien qu'il ne s'attribue pas le mérite de leur invention, Robert Munafo a inventé ce terme par analogie avec ses propres classes. Les superclasses sont définies comme suit :
- Superclass 1: A number that can be visualized, for example, 12.
- Superclass 2: The number cannot be visualized but it can be understood, for example, quadrillion.
- Superclass 3: The number cannot be understood, but the procedure for computing can be visualized, for example, tritri.
- Superclass 4: The procedure cannot be visualized, but it can be understood, for example, Moser.
- Superclass 5: The procedure for generating the number is so abstract that it cannot be understood, for example, gongulus.
Robert Munafo also defines:
- Superclass 0: The number can be experienced by certain animals, for example, 3.
- Superclass 6: The number is so big that nobody can understand its definition well enough to know anything useful about it, for example, BB(100) in the en:busy beaver function.
None of these terms define clear-cut ranges of numbers, since the capacity to visualize or understand a number or procedure can vary from person to person.