A Penny’s Worth of Thoughts
Are you a Number Nut? Last month Wiser Now Wisps focused on fun for Word Nerds that I hope was amusing regardless of anyone’s nerdiness level. February begins with a focus on fun number facts aimed at foiling readers with a math phobia.
Let’s begin with the lowly penny that features the profile of a fabulous U.S President with a February birthday (Abraham Lincoln, February 12, 1809). Did you know that coins are called “cents” because they refer to the percent of the dollar they are worth? A penny is worth one cent, or one percent of a dollar.
And while we’re talking percents, did you know they are reversible? 8% of 25 is the same as 25% of 8, but it’s much easier to do the math in your head for 25% of 8 (25% = ? and ? of 8 = 2) than for 8% of 25. (FYI, the premise is always true, but not all results are as easy to calculate without pen and paper as this example.)
Another surprising fact about percents: In any room of 23 people, there is about a 50% chance that two will have the same birthday. In a room of 75 people, the odds are nearly 100%. Try it at your next gathering in a crowded room.
Four is the only number with the same amount of letters as in the number.
Forty is the only number that has its letters in alphabetical order.
One is the only number that has its letters in reverse alphabetical order.
One thousand is the first spelled out number with an “a” in it.
When you multiply any number of ones by the same number of ones, the result will be a palindrome – a number that reads the same backwards and forward. Examples: 11 X 11 = 121. Or 111 X 111 = 12321 (12,321). Or 1111 X 1111 = 1234321 (1,234,321)
And did you realize? The numbers on opposite sides of the dice always add up to seven.
See? That wasn’t so painful.
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Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the creator and CEO of Wiser Now, Inc., dedicated to fostering wellbeing in people of all ages through a lighthearted approach. As the author of multiple books and newsletters, dozens of training courses and webinars, and hundreds of trivia quizzes, word games, and discussion exercises, she is eager to expand her reach. Check out the many offerings of her websites beginning with Wiser Now, Inc. She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].?