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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

MATHEMATICAL PUZZLE

Here is a mathematical series.  Calculate the next number in the series:

18  23  28  34  42  50  59  66

First correct answer gets congratulations [I don't have any coffee mugs with my face on them.]

{Fortunately, when I reveal the answer, people will not be able to come after me and beat me with sticks.]

15 comments:

ClarkAspen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ClarkAspen said...

73?

Robert Paul Wolff said...

nope. But close. I should have added, Explain your answer.

M said...

72. This is not math, it's logistics!

Superfluous Man said...

You can also google the sequence. I'm not going to give it away but the internet does provide quick answers. Bus routes for example. But if someone legitimately got it I don't want to take anything away either.

Andrew Lionel Blais said...

The next street on the bus line that you took as a kid to get to your violin lesson?

Andrew Lionel Blais said...

That would be 79, the Broadway line.

Jacob T. Levy said...

18 23 28 34 42 50 59 66

6x3-0, 6x4-1, 6x5-2
7x5-1, 7x6+0, 7x7+1
8x7+3, 8x8+2, 8x9+1

I get 73. Trios in which the first multiplicand remains constant, the second multiplicand goes up by one each time, and a figure is added that changes by one each time.

Now googling...

Bah humbug. Once upon a time I would have recognized that sequence, but there's no amount of staring at it tonight that would have gotten me there.

ajrosa said...

71?

JCE said...

subway stops on the Broadway IRT line in Manhattan

JCE said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ajrosa said...

In terms of an explanation, I was following a pattern in ascending and descending order: 5,5,6,8,8,9,7,5 (1,2,1,2)?

the pied cow blog said...

GONG!!! Misleading question. There was nothing to calculate.

Superfluous Man said...

The full sequence is actually:

Find the next number in the sequence
"14, 18, 23, 28, 34, 42, 50, 59, 66, 72, 79, 86, 96, 103, �"

You can read the answer here on this link if you scroll down far enough, it comes with a great deal of extra information on different science and math topics as well.

http://www.patrickkellogg.com/school/papers/infotheory/

Technically, I think calling it a mathematical sequence or a mathematical puzzle is somewhat disingenuous. But it is good for a laugh.

M said...

According to this story there may be some mathematical structure there after all. http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/05/17/0134254/worlds-subways-share-common-mathematical-structure