OT - math teaser

Mar 16, 2007 5 Replies
Jump to replies (5)
  1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the Area code) 2. Multiply by 80 3. Add 1 4. Multiply by 250 5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number 6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again. 7. Subtract 250 8. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer ??


A

A*80

A*80+1

(A*80+1)*250 = A*20000 + 250

A*20000 + 250 + 2B

= A*20000 + 2B

= A*10000 + B

Hey, it's my phone number (base 10000)! YMMV if not in the US.

Dang, it's my girlfriend's number!

I note that step 3 and step 7 cancel each other and have no effect but to cause confusion.

In step 2 and step 4 you are multiplying your prefix by 20,000, but in step

8 you cut it back in half so in effect all you are doing is to add four zeros to your prefix.

The suffix is then added in twice, but again step 8 cuts it back to it's original form.

This is kind of like taking a three digit number such as 123 and appending it to itself to give you 123,123 and then observing that in cases where you do this the number will be evenly divisible by 7 and 11.

The reason it works that way is because you are in effect multiplying the original 3 digit number by 1001, and since 1001 is divisible by both 7 and

11 anything you multiply to 1001 will also be divisible by both 7 and 11.

1) A 2) 80A 3) 80A +1 4) 250 [ 80A+1] 5) 250 [ 80A+1]+ B 6) 250 [ 80A+1] + 2B 7) 250 [ 80A+1] + 2B -250 8) [250 [ 80A+1] + 2B -250] /2 = 125 80 A + 125 + 250B - 125 = 10000A + B

Ya, It's what I owe the IRS. :(

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required