Mind-Bending Math
By Alex Jefferson
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Student Fun Stuff Creator
EDITOR'S NOTE: This fictional
conversation was not actually overheard by Alex Jefferson, but he thinks
it's the kind of thing that could be overheard.
"Eugene," Connie said, coming into Whit’s End one morning. "I have a mind
game for you."
"You have a mind game for me?" Eugene was very curious. "Please proceed."
Connie handed him a piece of paper and a sealed envelope. "Write a
three-digit number near the top of the paper, but it can’t end with a zero
or start and end with the same number."
Eugene thought for a moment, and then jotted down a number.
"Reverse the number. For example if the number is 321, then write 123 below
it."
She gave Eugene a minute. "Now look at those two numbers, and find the
smaller one. Subtract the smaller number from the larger one."
Eugene quickly calculated, then looked back to Connie.
"If you’re left with a two-digit number, put a zero in front of it. If it’s
a three-digit number, leave it as is."
Eugene nodded his understanding.
"Under that number, write the reverse of it, and then add them together.
Circle the total."
With a flourish, Eugene circled the final number and smirked at Connie.
"Now open the envelope I gave you at the beginning, and your number will be
inside."
Eugene laughed. "Certainly not. The probability of you guessing it correctly
is barely conceivable."
He quickly tore open the envelope and took out the number. "1,089!" he
looked up, shocked. "Unbelievable! How did you know?"
This
article originally appeared in "The Odyssey Times," a
special fictional newspaper produced by Focus on the Family to promote
Adventures in Odyssey.
Back to
The Odyssey Times
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