Magic Numbers of the Professor
Published on 30. December 2007
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-88385-557-7 (ISBN)
Description
A fascinating collection of numerical curiosities and wonders. The Professor in Owen O Shea s book is the imaginary American Richard Stein. As Owen O Shea and the Professor travel through Ireland, O Shea notes the Professor s collection of amazing magic numbers in fascinating detail. His mathematical curiosities are wide ranging, concerning the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania to coincidences about Apollo 11 to the first moon walk to new numerical curiosities. The new curiosities, among many others, center on Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy, the USA and Ireland, the two World Wars, the King James Version of the Bible, and James Joyce.
The Magic Numbers of the Professor reveals astonishing details about the year 1776; the year of American Independence. It contains discussions on prime numbers, gives some wonderful number patterns, and reveals many other eye-opening properties of numbers. It asks, for instance, if you know in how many different ways a US dollar can be changed. The Professor gives the answer to this and other currency questions. The number of the Beast 666, is discussed as well, as are many new equations involving that famous number all appearing here for the first time. And for those fascinated by games and gambling, a number of curious proposition bets involving dice, darts, and playing cards, and various mathematical puzzles are scattered throughout this singularly entertaining book.
The Magic Numbers of the Professor reveals astonishing details about the year 1776; the year of American Independence. It contains discussions on prime numbers, gives some wonderful number patterns, and reveals many other eye-opening properties of numbers. It asks, for instance, if you know in how many different ways a US dollar can be changed. The Professor gives the answer to this and other currency questions. The number of the Beast 666, is discussed as well, as are many new equations involving that famous number all appearing here for the first time. And for those fascinated by games and gambling, a number of curious proposition bets involving dice, darts, and playing cards, and various mathematical puzzles are scattered throughout this singularly entertaining book.
Reviews / Votes
From the Number of the Beast and triangular numbers to Friedman numbers and pandigital squares, this smorgasbord of mathematical puzzles, curiosities and coincidences is sure to delight readers of all level of mathematical sophistication."" - author, Clifford A. Pickover""Owen O'Shea, more than anyone, has the uncanny ability to find remarkable coincidences everywhere he looks. How he does it is a mystery. Some (not all!) of his astounding discoveries are packed into this entertaining mind bewildering book."" - author, Martin Gardner
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Washington DC
United States
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
377 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-88385-557-7 (9780883855577)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Foreword by Martin Gardner; Introduction; 1. Digit curiosities; 2. The 9/11 atrocities; 3. The Professor speaks on the U. S. and Ireland; 4. Curiosities in armed conflicts; 5. Number and word palindromes; 6. The U. S.-Iraq war; 7. The number of the Beast; 8. Curios of the Lusitania and other curious matters; 9. Wordplay and other curiosities; 10. New coincidences on Lincoln and Kennedy; 11. Dart and card curiosities; 12. The Professor gives some number patterns; 13. The King James Bible and some currency curiosities; 14. The Professor at the university; Index; About the authors.