Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/11/26/can-you-figure-out-what-number.html
…
3 Likes
Those are particularly horrible…
Another wacky number game from the same guy:
I love Numberphile. They are on Patreon now…
For all the people complaining that these aren’t “proper” mathematical sequences, this is Niel Sloane, creator of the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, having a little fun.
2 Likes
Yawn… the solutions are not unique. For any given sequence a,b,c… create the polynomial (x-a)(x-b)(x-c)*[anything you want] = 0 and you have a valid solution for subsequent terms. Maybe not the one the puzzler wanted, but that just means the puzzlemaker doesn’t know algebra
7 Likes
Let’s see, to reduce 16/64 just cancel the sixes above and below the line leaving 1/4. It works! And is equally silly and useless.
I dont enclose my fours so I had no hope of solving.
2 Likes
I had to stop, my brain started hurting.
1 Like
I got the ONE = 0, TWO = 0, […] FIVE = 4 sequence immediately. It was the only one. I had a decent guess with the EBAN numbers, right direction but wrong solution.
3 Likes
God, the sound of that marker on that paper – eeeeew.
1 Like
googol plex!
When I am having trouble falling asleep I do the math of The Fibonacci Sequence : 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 , 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610
Or 1+1= 2, 1+2= 3, 2+3= 5, 3+5= 8, … etc
Zzzzz…
1 Like
There’s a unique blend of frustration/annoyance I get when approaching a problem in good faith, only to be repeatedly told how simple it all is while someone explains the gimmick through a shit-eating grin. Tackling problems is fun and rewarding even when you fail (which I usually do) but these seem like they aren’t solvable without disingenuous bait-and-switch criteria. Handwriting? The spelling of the numerals, but only in English? Come on now…
6 Likes
Indeed, these felt more like linguistic or typography puzzles than math problems…
(and yes, as a non-english speaker, I automaticaly revert to my native language when doing math puzzles and these become unsolvable…)
4 Likes
What if i write my 6 like this? And my 9 the opposite of that? Then what???
OMFSM, it doesn’t work! Oh, nooooes!!!
1 Like
Oh, that’s just the point when you just move all the commas in the sequence to the left. No problem.
2 Likes
… and omit zeroes because they foul up the other (more logical) solution…
I pick an arbitrarily large number and count down by sevens.
4227
4220
4213
4206
4199
4192
4185
4178
4171
4164
4157
4150
4143
4136
4129
4122
4115
4108
4101
4094
4087
4080
4073
4066
4059
4052
4045
Zzzzz…
2 Likes
I got another of those sneaky questions. See if he can solve this.
What’s the next number in the sequence?
134, 24, 34, 44, 54, 634, 754, …
ps, it’s easy! (if you know the rule 
)
1 Like
Cool! Also I do the Alphabet backwards. Zzzzz…
2 Likes
But are any of them numberwang??
7 Likes
3 Likes
Neil has some pretty insane wallpaper in his office.
1 Like
