tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946838102766200913.post6105434297031700387..comments2023-10-28T03:00:45.154-07:00Comments on The Pot Thief: Pot Thief Tour 2010 - Day 11Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946838102766200913.post-12395403943960186412010-05-23T18:49:54.078-07:002010-05-23T18:49:54.078-07:00Oh! By the way. You don't have to send me a f...Oh! By the way. You don't have to send me a free book, although that would be great. I just have this irresistible urge to work on math puzzles (and happened to remember about this one--you could look it up on "Ask Dr. Math" as well).<br /><br />I love travel blogs. Los Alamos is a scary place. . . .Shalannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05503978745207805622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946838102766200913.post-71831051099718979782010-05-23T18:47:46.668-07:002010-05-23T18:47:46.668-07:00They used the properties of 1729 as a joke on &quo...They used the properties of 1729 as a joke on "The Simpsons," among other places . . . I suppose there must be a math nerd among their series writers. *GRIN*<br /><br />1729 is the second "taxicab number." I only know this because I took "Numeric Methods" with Dr. Ginsberg at SMU in 1980 when I was a junior and a math major, and he was a fascinating lecturer from NEW YORK CITY who had actually ridden in taxicabs. (You probably already know that the first taxicab number is two--1^3 + 1^3!) I remember so many fun facts from that class because he was a veritable fountain of them. But anyway--I am kind of still a number theory freak and I like to play with this stuff, even though I am a writer first and a music/math nerd second.<br /><br />the trivial solution, of course, is (because 1 is the smallest cube!~)<br />1729 = 1^3 + 12^3 (12*12=144, 144*12=1728)<br />or a little tougher<br />1729 = 9^3 + 10^3 (9*9=81, 81*9=729; 10*10*10=1000 trivial answer)<br /><br />It's fun to look at things like this, because typically you can find one of the early cubes and subtract that one and then factor the remaining number and you'll see the pattern. Of course that's only when the puzzle is put out there by some tricky teacher or math buff . . . some numbers DON'T have any obvious special properties.<br /><br />Now I have one for you! What's a special property of 16? Extra credit: what's a special property of 18? *giggle*Shalannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05503978745207805622noreply@blogger.com