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#1 2009-07-19 10:33:06

luca-deltodesco
Member
Registered: 2006-05-05
Posts: 1,470

Another..nother number trap.

This is one i've known for many years.

Start with any number (or infact, word i might say)

At each step, take the number that represents the number of letters in the word, and use that as your next word
you inevitably end up at four, which ofcourse is the end of the line, since the word 'four' has 4 letters.

Timbuktu -> 8
Eight -> 5
Five -> 4
Four -> 4

Equivalent version in Italian, you inevitably end up with 'tre' (3)

Timbuktu -> 8
Otto -> 4
Quatro -> 6
Sei -> 3
Tre -> 3

Last edited by luca-deltodesco (2009-07-19 10:34:28)


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The End Of All Things To Come.

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#2 2009-07-19 12:14:12

quittyqat
Member
Registered: 2009-04-08
Posts: 1,215

Re: Another..nother number trap.

faint Wow! This is so interesting!
magic

5
five
4
four
4

Will it work for hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

36
                       ten
three
five
four
4
               

thirty-six
               

                       nine
four
4
Yes!


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#3 2009-07-23 12:07:08

soroban
Member
Registered: 2007-03-09
Posts: 452

Re: Another..nother number trap.

Hello, luca-deltodesco!

Wow -- This is new to me!

Thank you!
.

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#4 2009-07-24 03:18:40

simron
Real Member
Registered: 2006-10-07
Posts: 237

Re: Another..nother number trap.

In Spanish:
diez->quatro->seis->quatro->seis...
It keeps repeating quatro and seis.


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#5 2009-10-05 00:02:04

NATT
Member
Registered: 2009-09-29
Posts: 110

Re: Another..nother number trap.

In Sinhala:
Eka->Deka->Thuna->Hathara->Paha->HAya->Hatha->Ata.. lol


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#6 2009-10-05 11:20:56

simron
Real Member
Registered: 2006-10-07
Posts: 237

Re: Another..nother number trap.

I wonder if this can be proved mathematically.


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#7 2009-10-05 11:57:40

luca-deltodesco
Member
Registered: 2006-05-05
Posts: 1,470

Re: Another..nother number trap.

I wouldn't have thought so, because one could quite easily define a language where every name for a number, has 1 more letter than the number value, and so you could never reach a finite loop.


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The End Of All Things To Come.

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#8 2009-10-05 12:43:03

simron
Real Member
Registered: 2006-10-07
Posts: 237

Re: Another..nother number trap.

True, so let me restate that:
I wonder if this can be proven mathematically for the English language.


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