When Does 1756 Look a Little Like π?

Today’s Puzzle:

Here are 1756 tiny squares. Solve for n and you will know which centered pentagonal number 1756 is. You could also count the pentagons from the center outward.

What triangular number multiplied by 5 is one less than 1756?

How do you pronounce pentagonal? Here’s a quick video on its correct pronunciation:

Confession: I had been mispronouncing all of those terms, but not anymore!

Factors of 1756:

  • 1756 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1756 = 2 × 2 × 439, which can be written 1756 = 2² × 439.
  • 1756 has at least one exponent greater than 1 in its prime factorization so √1756 can be simplified. Taking the factor pair from the factor pair table below with the largest square number factor, we get √1756 = (√4)(√439) = 2√439.
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 2 and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 3 × 2 = 6. Therefore 1756 has exactly 6 factors.
  • The factors of 1756 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

More About the Number 1756:

The centered pentagon above doesn’t really look like π, so when does 1756 look a little bit like π? Pi day in America is next week, so this is a time-sensitive question.

Actually,1756 looks a little like 10π in base 24. You see 1756₁₀ is the same as 314₂₄.
Why? Because 3(24²) + 1(24) + 4(1) = 1756.

1756₁₀ also is the same as 1024₁₂.
Why? Because 1(12³) + 0(12²) + 2(12) + 4(1) = 1756.
I think that’s cool because 2¹º = 1024.

1756 is the difference of two squares:
440² – 438² = 1456.

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