[...]... comb, or crossed through in a way that reminds you of the modern way of checking things in groups of 5 Were 2.2 Designs on the wall of the Number Cave Some researchers believe the markings represent numbers, if you were to explore the cave and consider the teeth of the "combs" as units, you could read all numbers up to 14 in one area of the cave, the numbers 9,10,11, and 12 appear close together Could... terms of whole numbers Only a few hundred years ago courses in numerology—the study of mystical and religious properties of numbers were required for all college students, and even today such numbers as 13, 7, and 666 conjure up emotional reactions in many people Today, integer arithmetic is important in a wide spectrum of human activities and has repeatedly played a crucial role in the evolution of the... average of a gallon of blood This gives 6 billion gallons of blood in the world Given that there are 7.48 gallons per cubic foot, this gives us roughly * 800,000,000 cubic feet of human blood * in the world The cube root of this value indicates that all the blood in the world would fit in a cube about 927 feet on a side To give you a feel for this figure, the length of each side of the base of the Great... (BASIC code for exploring prime numbers and plaids) © Chapter 62 Triangular Numbers (BASIC code for computing triangular numbers) © Chapter 63 Hexagonal Cats (BASIC code for computing polygonal numbers) © Chapter 64 The X-Files Number (BASIC code for computing X-Files "Endof-the-World" Numbers) © Chapter 66 The Hunt for Elusive Squarions (BASIC code for generating pair square numbers) © Chapter 68 Pentagonal... Catalan numbers) © Chapter 71 Mr Fibonacci's Neighborhood (BASIC code for computing Fibonacci numbers) xiv 0 Wonders of Numbers © Chapter 73 The Wonderful Emirp, 1597 (REXX code for computing prime Fibonacci numbers) © Chapter 83 The Leviathan Number (C and BASIC code for comparing Stirling and factorial values) © Chapter 85 The Aliens in Independence Day (C and BASIC code for computing number and sex of. .. Spider 19 10 Numbers beyond Imagination 11 Cupid's Arrow 12 Poseidon Arrays 23 13 Scales of Justice 24 14 Mystery Squares 15 Quincunx 27 22 26 20 6 xvi 0 16 Jerusalem Overdrive Wonders of Numbers 33 17 The Pipes of Papua 34 18 The Fractal Society 38 19 The Triangle Cycle 41 20 IQ-Block 42 21 Riffraff 44 22 Klingon Paths 46 23 Ouroboros Autophagy 24 Interview with a Number 47 49 25 The Dream-Worms of Atlantis... that his obsession with integers sounds silly to many of you, but integers are a great way to transcend space and time Contemplating the wondrous relationships among these numbers stretches the imagination, and the usefulness of these numbers allows us to build spaceships and investigate the very fabric of our universe Numbers will be our first means of communication with intelligent alien races Ancient... 10,000 The ancient Greeks had 2 systems of numerals The earlier of these was based on the initial letters of the names of numbers: The number 5 was indicated by the letter^?/'; 10 by the letter delta-, 100 by the antique form of the letter H\ 1000 by the letter chi; and 10,000 by the letter mu The second system, introduced in the 3rd century B.C., used all the letters of the Greek alphabet plus 3 letters... casino's employees, dressed as a Roman gladiator, came to him and slammed a deck of cards (Figure 3.1) on the table 3.1 A deck of cards 12 © Wonders of Numbers "My good man," Dr Googol said, "I personally don't have such a good memory." "Don't worry," the huge man said with a grin "This tests another kind of card ability If a pack of playing cards measures 1.3 centimeters when viewed sideways, what would... me2 and also the possibility of atomic bombs Integers are everywhere in atomic physics Integer relations are fundamental strands in the mathematical weave—or, as German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss said, "Mathematics is the queen of sciences—and number theory is the queen of mathematics." Prepare yourself for a strange journey as Wonders of Numbers unlocks the doors of your imagination The thought-provoking . Dr. xii © Wonders of Numbers Googol has researched himself and on which he has received mail from readers. Many questions are representative of a wider class of problems of interest . "Mathematics is the queen of sciences—and number theory is the queen of mathematics." Prepare yourself for a strange journey as Wonders of Numbers unlocks the doors of your imagination. . otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pickover, Clifford A. Wonders of numbers: adventures in mathematics,