The London cab that rode into history is none other than the humble number 1729. According to British mathematician G.H. Hardy, who encountered Ramanujan in a cab, this number has made its mark on mathematics as it's the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways.
In simple terms, if you try to find another combination for 1729 by adding two cubes together, there aren't any. For instance, 1^3 + 12^3 equals 1729, but no other pair can produce this result. This curiosity sparked a new area of study in mathematics - taxicab numbers.
Now, let's move on to today's puzzles loosely based on 1729. The first challenge is the "Square Pair" - find the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two squares in more than one way. Interestingly, this puzzle has an answer less than 100.
The next challenge, "Strip Tease", presents a wooden strip problem where adding another piece won't allow us to form any triangles using three strips. Instead, we need to figure out possible lengths for the seventh strip. This will require some clever thinking and attention to detail.
Lastly, there's the "Sick Sixth" puzzle - with four numbers at our disposal, we can create six different products from combining two of these numbers together. However, the values of five of these products are known already, so we need to work out the value of the sixth product without giving away too much information.
Lastly, news comes that London is set to welcome its first specialist maths secondary school, 1729 Maths School, which will cater to students from age 11. The school's founders aim to foster math enthusiasts and provide a nurturing environment for those with exceptional mathematical abilities.
In simple terms, if you try to find another combination for 1729 by adding two cubes together, there aren't any. For instance, 1^3 + 12^3 equals 1729, but no other pair can produce this result. This curiosity sparked a new area of study in mathematics - taxicab numbers.
Now, let's move on to today's puzzles loosely based on 1729. The first challenge is the "Square Pair" - find the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two squares in more than one way. Interestingly, this puzzle has an answer less than 100.
The next challenge, "Strip Tease", presents a wooden strip problem where adding another piece won't allow us to form any triangles using three strips. Instead, we need to figure out possible lengths for the seventh strip. This will require some clever thinking and attention to detail.
Lastly, there's the "Sick Sixth" puzzle - with four numbers at our disposal, we can create six different products from combining two of these numbers together. However, the values of five of these products are known already, so we need to work out the value of the sixth product without giving away too much information.
Lastly, news comes that London is set to welcome its first specialist maths secondary school, 1729 Maths School, which will cater to students from age 11. The school's founders aim to foster math enthusiasts and provide a nurturing environment for those with exceptional mathematical abilities.