Ask Me Help Desk

Ask Me Help Desk (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum.php)
-   Mathematics (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=199)
-   -   My favourite number sequence. (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=64183)

  • Feb 21, 2007, 07:54 AM
    Capuchin
    Hehe someone will get it, I was being a little sarcastic with the given it away comment :p

    I know someone at my place of work who got it (took them half a day though)
  • Feb 21, 2007, 07:55 AM
    galactus
    No worries. I'm not thin-skinned

    So there:p :D
  • Feb 21, 2007, 08:19 AM
    asterisk_man
    *dim bulb*
  • Feb 21, 2007, 09:49 AM
    Evil dead
    0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 9, 5, 1, 1, 0, 55, 55, 1.

    Hmm. This is something to do with square root or cube root. The way it shoots up to 55 then straight back down to 1 is quite bemusing.

    How ever, what I do know that it is based on Computer Science or some sort of Binary Code.
  • Feb 21, 2007, 09:55 AM
    Capuchin
    Hi Evil dead and welcome to the discussion!

    Maybe you and asterisk man can shove your heads together! :)
  • Feb 21, 2007, 10:55 AM
    asterisk_man
    Based on the initial 4 zeros I'm led to believe that the function is f(n-1,n-2,n-3,n-4) and that terms 1 2 3 4 are the initial conditions.
  • Feb 21, 2007, 10:56 AM
    Capuchin
    You would be incorrect in that belief.
  • Feb 21, 2007, 12:57 PM
    asterisk_man
    is it a sequence which is defined by the numbers that capuchin and galactus randomly generate for the purpose of keeping asterisk_man in a perpetual state of confusion?? If that's the case, is the next term in the sequence ?
  • Feb 21, 2007, 01:02 PM
    Capuchin
    Eheehehehhehe

    Okay here is a huge clue.

    The terms that you might want to concentrate on are five, six, eleven and twelve.
  • Feb 22, 2007, 01:52 AM
    colbtech
    Well I can't remember the last time an England opener scored 55 ? Cou;dn't you have started with a sequence like 1,2,3,4,5,

    Think I could have coped with that one. (Hint: Nothing to do with cricket!)
  • Feb 22, 2007, 07:55 AM
    Capuchin
    Another clue?

    The sequence is poorly defined beyond term 34
  • Feb 24, 2007, 02:44 PM
    galactus
    Cap, ol' buddy, it's time you gave it up. Think mapping and Roman numerals.
  • Feb 24, 2007, 02:52 PM
    Capuchin
    Yes I completely forgot about this lol

    The sequence is formed by taking each term, removing all letters that aren't I, V, X, L, C, D, or M, and then reading the number as a roman numeral.

    for example, six = ix = 9
    twelve = lv = 55

    It's poorly defined after term 34 because thirty-five is iiv which is not a standard roman numeral.

    It is sequence A002904 in the The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences.

    Thanks for playing.
  • Feb 24, 2007, 03:29 PM
    galactus
    The pattern is rather obscure.

    one=0
    two=0
    three=0
    four=0
    fIVe=4
    sIX=9
    seVen=5
    eIght=1
    nIne=1
    ten=0
    eLeVen=55
    tweLVe=55
    thIrteen=1
    fourteen=0
    fIfteen=1
    sIXteen=9
    seVenteen=5
    eIghteen=1
    nIneteen=1
    twenty=0
    twenty-0ne=0
    twenty-two=0
    twenty-three=0
    twenty-four=0
    twenty-fIVe=4
    twenty-sIX=9
    twenty-seVen=5
    twenty-eIght=1
    twenty-nIne=1
    thIrty=1
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    seVenty-sIX=59

    And so on and so on. See the pattern?
  • Feb 24, 2007, 05:11 PM
    Capuchin
    Why is vix 59? :/ it's poorly defined also. Could be 59, or 4, or 14, or 45. They would write 59 as lix
  • Feb 25, 2007, 02:34 AM
    agneau
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Capuchin
    okay, a mini clue, it's an infinite sequence.

    This reminds me of this other sequence: 3, 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 5, 5, 4, 3, 6, 6...

    (although that looks fairly regular... it is not about the numbers themselves but about the number of letters in the words ONE, TWO, THREE etc... )

    I am convinced they are similar somehow... but I am thrown by the 0, 0, 0... assuming it is something to do with the words ONE, TWO etc... could it be a formula e.g. relating the number of vowels to consonants? Or should I be looking at other languages than English?

    ONE, TWO, THREE all have
    abs(Vowels - Consonants) - 1 = 0
    but this fails with FOUR

    and it could never give an answer of 9!

    before I try to pursue this any further and totally go mad... am I on the right track?

    a
  • Feb 25, 2007, 03:51 AM
    Capuchin
    Erm, I've given the answer ;)
  • Feb 25, 2007, 06:42 AM
    agneau
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Capuchin
    Erm, i've given the answer ;)

    LOL... I guess I should make sure I have read the whoe thread, not just the first page, before replying! At least that gave me something fun to think about for a bit. And I am relieved I wasn't being completely thick. That is the sort of sequence it is impossible to work out unless you have a BIG clue... like the answer!

    Thanks

    A
  • Feb 25, 2007, 07:48 AM
    Capuchin
    It's not that hard, you just need to tweak it.
  • Feb 26, 2007, 07:45 AM
    asterisk_man
    OK. I was starting to get in the right ballpark. I knew that it had something to do with the names of the numbers. Though I hadn't quite made the leap to roman numerals yet.

    Tricky sequence!

  • All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:02 AM.