Time for MATH MINUTE! (provide your favorite theme
music here).
Get
out your paper & pencil because I have a new puzzle for you!!
PUZZLE #45 Some
numbers are perfect. Dec. 10-14
Consider
the number 6. It is divisible by only 1, 2, and 3 (and 6 of course).
Notice
that the proper divisors 1, 2, and 3 satisfy:
1
+ 2 + 3 = 6.
Such
a number is called a perfect number.
Can
you find the next largest perfect number?
Some
interesting facts:
No one knows how many such numbers there are.
No one knows if there are any odd
perfect numbers.
Send
your comments, ideas and solutions before Monday to this email address, and be sure to put
MM in the subject line: parksjm@potsdam.edu
Visit
us here online to see the results every Monday.
See
you next time on MATH MINUTE! (theme music fades out here).