Math Quiz

[chess9]

What's so special about the number 26?

Hint: Think number theory.

 

[KarsinTheHutt]

Shot in the dark - is it a perfect number?

 

[Electric Amish]

What's a

<< perfect number >>

??

amish

 

[KarsinTheHutt]

Oops sorry - i thought i saw 28 not 26.

Perfect number
Sum of proper divisors = to the number. Prper divisor is a divisor of a mnumber thats not itself/

1* 28 =28
2 * 14 = 28
4 * 7 = 28

28 excluded.
so 1 2, 4, 7, and 14 are the proper divisors
sum of tehs is 28

 

[KarsinTheHutt]

There are 26 letters in the standard english alphabet

 

[chess9]

Oh, Mighty Karsin: Great tries, but no cigar. I like the alphabet link, creative and smart. But your other answer is in Italy, and you need Rome. After the next legitimate try, I will give another hint.

 

[Capn]

there are 26 finite simple groups?

 

[chess9]

Capn: No, but keep trying and you will get to the root of the matter.

 

[Capn]

(5.099019513592780000000000000000)^2 = 26

 

[chess9]

CapN: Uh, no.

Have you Fermatted your hard drive lately?

 

[Capn]

On October 26th 1994, with the help of Richard Taylor, Andrew Wiles adjusted a small error in his proof of Fermat's last theorem.

I don't know I give up. heh Damnit jim I'm an engineer not a mathematician

 

[chess9]

CapN: Fermat wasn't a mathematician either! He was a civil servant-a judge. You know more math than he knew!

This one is easy. I've got some hard ones to post!

 

[chess9]

Sharkeeper: Almost true (26.2), and harder than this problem.

Think neighbors.

 

[Capn]

I have 26 neighbors on my block?

 

[Viper GTS]

You have a 26&quot;... Monitor?

:Q

Viper GTS

 

[chess9]

CapN: No!!!!!!!!!!!! But if you rooted out the neighbors, you'd have the answer.

If you guys can't solve this with the clues you have, then all the math whizzes must be in summer school, playing Quake, or sleeping. Probably the latter.

 

[chess9]

ViperGTS: No, my 19&quot; monitor isn't working because my daughter's puppy ate the monitor cable. But I'd like a 26&quot; monitor!

 

[Capn]

Ok, so here are our clues right

26
Fermat
Root
neighbor
number theory

Heh, I'm stumped. I'm a self declared math whiz, but not that type of math whiz. Besides it's July, call me in September

 

[Viper Frag]

26 comes after 25 and before 27.

 

[chess9]

Viper: You are the closest yet, but you haven't gotten to the root of the matter. You need to branch out now that you're barking up the right tree. Feel free to go out on a limb. I'll just leaf it to you.



Edit: Perhaps you need two or three more guesses?

 

[NoPity]

chess9,

is it your age? or IQ?

 

[chess9]

NoPity: My age is greater than my IQ!

 

[Capn]

5^2 = 25
3^3 = 27

maybe it's the only number between two simple powers or something?

 

[Viper Frag]

Someone draw a factor tree of 26. I'm too lazy right now.

 

[Mister T]

There was this indian mathematician in the ealry 1900's named Ramanujan. He was an indian studying in England. According to
various stories, he could attribute unique properties to any prettty
much any number you shouted at him.

Chess9, I have a math question for you.

How many consecutive zeros is at the end of the number

1001! (Yes that is a factorial)

BTW, using a program such as Mathcad is cheating. I want to know
your reasoning.