NUMBER THEORY
In his discussion of "the Number," John Tierney has hit a raw nerve and comes close to what really makes the rich different from you and me (The Big City: "Number Theory," Nov. 19). You can be certain that if Bill Gates, Ronald Perelman, Michael Milken and Henry Kravis ever got together at a cocktail party, the one thing they would definitely not be discussing would be "the Number."
ROBERT J. YAES, M.D. Bronx