So...I have a problem. No wait, I don't have a problem...I have a question/problem, a...nevermind.
A math problem of sorts...because that's what everyone wants to do on a Monday, right?! :) *ahem* Anyway... (and actually I wrote this on Sunday, when I wasn't tired) I do know the answer to this, I'm just throwing a math problem out there, so you all don't get lazy over the summer...kidding! ;)
Can anyone explain why my age and my mom's age add and always will add up the same number? If you add the digits in my age (1+8) and hers (4+5) they both equal nine...and they will always do that. If you add them until there's only one digit they will always be the same. e.g.: (2+0=2) and (4+7=11; 1+1=2)
Amazing isn't it? I knew it worked right now, but I thought at some point they wouldn't add up, so when we were talking about it Sunday morning and going through the numbers, I think I went wandering around for quite a while going "Wow... Wow! Crazy!" until I realized I needed to be getting ready for church. :p
(Note: she gave me permission to put her age on here, she doesn't mind)
Anyway...now that you all have headaches, you can think about it...and if any of you did Abeka math (and other math programs too possibly) you might remember learning something that would give you a clue as to how this works.
I'll post the answer sometime later this week...although I warn you that the answer is more of a complicated concept than a set answer (at least as far I'm capable of explaining it) so hopefully it'll make sense! :p And won't I look stupid if one of you can explain it all in one or two sentences... (Uncle Jim....you know everything, right? Maybe I'll get one concise sentence of explanation from you?) ;)
6 comments:
oh my. math is not my forte. at all. in fact, i had to take the most basic, simple math in college :) so good luck with that! and thanks so much for the sweet compliments on my blog! my mom will LOVE to hear that :) have a great day!
It's because your mom had you when she was 27 and the digital root of 27 is 9... If you were to multiply nine by any whole number, not including zero, and repeatedly add the digits of the answer until it's just one digit, you will end up with nine..It works with 3 too but 3 is the sqroot of 9 so that is to be expected... :p
The old Prussian schoolmasters referred to this simply as "the Rule of Neins."
Its invocation was usually followed by a sharp rap of the ruler across the offending student's knuckles.
Good old nines times table rules and all that jazz!!!
Did you know, you can also use your fingers to find the answer to nines times tables? EX. Hold up all 10 fingers... Ask yourself, what is 9 x 3?.... Place down your 3rd finger, beginning from the left.... You have 2 fingers still up on the left of the 3rd finger and 7 fingers still up to the right of the 3rd finger... Put 2 & 7 together to get your answer of 27...
Okay, so maybe it's not a complicated concept, I just couldn't think of a very good way to say it. :D
Will, your answer was the most thorough, and certainly made more sense than I would be able to. Uncle Jim, yours was the funniest and very fitting for today!
I took care of my friend's kids again (over at our house this time), and there was certainly a lot of "neining!" both on our part and from the kids! Oof.
Cool...good job on figuring that out, both of you! :) Oh, and nice conciseness, Uncle Jim...I knew you could do it! :P
Ooo...lovely tens-based numerical system we have! That's interesting...I hadn't ever heard of using your fingers to figure it out. Not that that would have helped me much if I had known it, I do much better at written math instructions rather than using objects to solve a problem.
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