I'm posting one puzzle, riddle, math, or statistical problem a day. Try to answer each one and post your answers in the comments section. I'll post the answer the next day. Even if you have the same answer as someone else, feel free to put up your answer, too!
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Capital Numbers
Of those numbers whose English representation in capital letters consists only of straight lines, only one number has a value equal to the number of straight line segments required to write it out. What number is this?
Zoe's answer makes sense, except that my understanding of the question was that we're looking at numbers whose capitalized spellings consist ONLY of letters which can be written with straight lines (therefore the "S" in SIXTEEN eliminates it as a possibility). I tried FIVE, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE, FIFTEEN, NINETEEN, and TWENTY, but the number of lines doesn't match up to the actual number, so I'm at a loss unless I keep going with higher numbers...
Oh, I got one! TWENTY-NINE has 29 lines (depending how you write your capital letters). I did it by making my "Y" with two lines (one long one like a backslash, and a shorter one in the opposite direction), and my "I" with one line down, without adding the two lines across the top and bottom.
That's what I originally thought Tabitha and I tried to work it out eliminating any number with S, R, G or O in the spelling. However, in Mike's example, he uses ONE and TWO, and only counts the straight lines from the letters with straight line segments....
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I don't understand the question, do you mean, numbers such as TWO and THREE are excluded because of the O and the R?
ReplyDeleteHi Zoe,
ReplyDeleteMaybe a couple of examples would be best:
ONE has seven straight line segments (N has three, E has four, while O has 0).
TWO has five straight line segments (T has two line segments, W has three, O has 0).
Does that help?
It does, thanks!
ReplyDeleteFOUR?
ReplyDeleteSIXTEEN
ReplyDeleteZoe's answer makes sense, except that my understanding of the question was that we're looking at numbers whose capitalized spellings consist ONLY of letters which can be written with straight lines (therefore the "S" in SIXTEEN eliminates it as a possibility). I tried FIVE, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE, FIFTEEN, NINETEEN, and TWENTY, but the number of lines doesn't match up to the actual number, so I'm at a loss unless I keep going with higher numbers...
ReplyDeleteOh, I got one! TWENTY-NINE has 29 lines (depending how you write your capital letters). I did it by making my "Y" with two lines (one long one like a backslash, and a shorter one in the opposite direction), and my "I" with one line down, without adding the two lines across the top and bottom.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I originally thought Tabitha and I tried to work it out eliminating any number with S, R, G or O in the spelling. However, in Mike's example, he uses ONE and TWO, and only counts the straight lines from the letters with straight line segments....
ReplyDeletea-
ReplyDelete|a
a-
aa|
a-
That is 5 with 5 lines. (look at only the lines and ignore the 'a's)
I believe TWENTY NINE works.
ReplyDeleteT = 2
W = 3
E = 4
N = 3
T = 2
Y = 2
-----
16
N = 3
I = 3
N = 3
E = 4
-----
13
For a total of 29.
The Y is tricky, I'm thinking.
S = 0
I = 3
X = 2
T = 2
E = 4
E = 4
N = 3
------
18
Unless you think of a capital I as one line, in which case SIXTEEN works.
Isn't a W worth 4?
ReplyDeleteif the W is worth 4 and the I is worth 1, then 29 works
ReplyDeletesorry, and the Y is worth 3
ReplyDelete