NFR: Unbelievable Math Problem ~ You must do this

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diannecerkvenik64

Well-known member
I received this email and was amazed ~ so... I did it with every phone number I've ever had (that I could remember that is) and it keeps working ~ too cool!

UNBELIEVABLE MATH PROBLEM

HERE IS A MATH TRICK SO UNBELIEVABLE THAT IT WILL STUMP YOU.

1. GRAB A CALCULATOR---NOT AN ADDING MACHINE. (YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS ONE IN YOUR HEAD)

2. KEY IN THE FIRST THREE DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER (NOT THE AREA CODE)

3. MULTIPLY BY 80

4. ADD 1

5. MULTIPLY BY 250

6. ADD THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER

7. ADD THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER AGAIN.

8. SUBTRACT 250

9. DIVIDE NUMBER BY 2

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE ANSWER?

 
This is pretty much like a dozen other math problems like this that I've seen...>>...

You do a couple of operations, then you
do a couple more operations that only
reverse the earlier operations, and
you're left with what you started with.

In this case, the final result is supposed
to be a phone number, so to separate the
first three digits from the last four digits,
steps 3, 5 and 9 shift the first three digits
over by four decimal places, and steps 6,
7 and 9 just stick the last four right next
to the first three.

This will also work if you eliminate steps
4 and 8.

Right, Marilyn?

 
Yep. This problem needs to get from 3 digits to a 7 digit phone number.

The multipliers (80 & 250) increase it >7 digits, Step 4 is there to have any result (1 thru 999) end up with 250 in the last 3 digits, then Step 8 subtracts that additional 250 cleanly. The path is then clear to simply divide the total and end up with the first 3 numbers you entered and the last 4 digits you entered.

I'd be very impressed if they could do this without me entering my last four digits into the equation.

 
Yes, it's just Algebra. (I'm a math teacher)

If the first 3 digits of your phone number is x and the last 4 digits is y, then the algebra is this:
(80x +1)250+y+y-250=20,000x+2y. divide this by 2 and you have 10,000x+y. which is your starting phone #.

 
Luisa, you are a amazing.

I get excited when I can figure out which size jar of peanutbutter is the cheapest per ounce. I'm algebra scarred, I can still remember Mr. W (who doubled as the wrestling coach) smacking a kid upside the head for getting X wrong at the blackboard.

And for the record, my calculator must be broken because I have come out with stranger's phone numbers, not my own smileys/smile.gif

 
Luisa, can you explain why someone would make an A in algebra and fail business math ...

I blame it on a football coach trying to teach business math...what kind of brain would grasp algebra and not other?

 
Different type of math. Business math is really just arithmetic, not analytical.

I'm terrible at arithmetic, just ask my students, LOL!

 
When I was taking it, I always that calc was more like a foreign language and involed little

reasoning, only lots of memorization!

 
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