41 and Life Is Like A Sudoku Puzzle

  • 41 is a prime number.
  • Prime factorization: 41 is prime.
  • The exponent of prime number 41 is 1. Adding 1 to that exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 41 has exactly 2 factors.
  • Factors of 41: 1, 41
  • Factor pairs: 41 = 1 x 41
  • 41 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √41 ≈ 6.40312

How do we know that 41 is a prime number? If 41 were not a prime number, then it would be divisible by at least one prime number less than or equal to √41 ≈ 6.4. Since 41 cannot be divided evenly by 2, 3, or 5, we know that 41 is a prime number.

41 is never a clue in the FIND THE FACTORS puzzles.

I read an essay titled Life Is Like a Sudoku Puzzle. Typically the only Sudoku puzzles I do are in the newspaper, and it has been weeks since I’ve started one. If I mess up on one, I don’t try to figure out what I did wrong. I simply put a big x on it and throw the paper in the recycling bin. I accept defeat, but I really don’t learn anything from my mistake. But if I would look at those puzzles a little differently, I could learn a lot about life from them, just as that essay suggests.

 

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