11 July 2009

A mathematical curiosity

In 1965, Dmitri Borgmann noted that this expression:

11 + 2 - 1 = 12

... is valid also when interpreted as a set of letters:

ELEVEN + TWO = ELEVENTWO

ELEVENTWO - ONE = LEVETW (= TWELVE)

3 comments:

  1. Brian KernJuly 11, 2009 at 9:11 AM

    I think this is actually more like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. ELEVENTWO? What the hell is that? I hope this isn't the only thing Dmitri Borgmann is known for.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 11, 2009 at 12:18 PM

    Also good:

    "eleven plus two" is an anagram of "twelve plus one", just like the numbers 11 + 2 = 12 + 1.

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  3. MinnesotastanJuly 13, 2009 at 6:18 PM

    @Brian - ELEVENTWO are the letters of ELEVEN and TWO, from which the letters of ONE are then subtracted to generate LEVETW. This is very clever, though you may not perceive the achievement. Hint: try to do this with the letters of any other numberical calculation.

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