Math Trick: Reveal Common Answer with Few Steps

  • Context: High School 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a mathematical trick that leads participants to arrive at a common answer through a series of steps involving number manipulation. The scope includes exploration of mathematical recreational techniques and examples of similar tricks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a specific sequence of steps that leads to a common answer, involving picking a number, multiplying, and performing additional operations.
  • Another participant references a related thread, suggesting that similar tricks are discussed elsewhere.
  • A different participant mentions a book that contains various mathematical tricks, indicating that such methods are not unique and are part of a broader category of mathematical recreations.
  • One example provided includes a sequence that results in most people thinking of Denmark and a kangaroo, though the relevance of these specific choices is not fully explored.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the effectiveness or the specifics of the trick, and multiple examples and references to similar tricks are presented without resolving which is the most effective or interesting.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the audience's familiarity with mathematical tricks and does not clarify the underlying principles that lead to the common answers. The effectiveness of the tricks may depend on cultural or contextual factors that are not addressed.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in mathematical recreational activities, educators looking for engaging classroom activities, or those curious about number tricks and their psychological effects on participants.

anil
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any body know that trick where you tell the audience to pick a number and thell them to add a number and multiply by a number and then after a couple of sets everybody will have a common answer? If so could you please explain in detail regarding the procedure.
 
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1) Pick a number between 1 and 10
2) multiply that number by 9
3) if the number is two digets, add the two digits together
4) subtract 5 from the answer.
5) if 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C, 4 = D, 5 = E, etc... think of a country with the letter your number represents.
5) Using the last letter of the country, think of an animal.

This is an example lol... steps 4 onwards aren't needed but amazingly, most people choose Denmark, and Kangaroo.
 
There are a bunch of those (3-4) in 'Mathematical Recreations and Essays' by Ball & Coxeter. That book is packed with all kinds of cool stuff.
 

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