factor pairs

870 If You Can Solve a 3×3 and a 4×4 Magic Square, Then You Can Solve a 12×12 Magic Square

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It’s simple multiplication, folks!

3×4 = 12, so if you can solve a 3×3 Magic Square and a 4×4 Magic Square, then you can solve a 12×12 Magic Square, too.

Seriously. Really. It’s true! You really can solve a 12×12 Magic Square. I did it. Twice. You’ll see. You can do it, too.

That solution consists of sixteen 3×3 Magic Squares that use all the numbers from 1 to 144. The one in the corner is the most familiar one. The other ones are just that familiar Magic Square plus 9, 18, 27 and a few other multiples of 9. I used the 4×4 Magic Square below as a guide as I placed the sixteen 3×3 Magic Squares on the excel file I made, 12 factors 864-874.

4 x 4 Magic Square

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There is 1 solution times 8 orientations (right-side-up, upside-down, etc.) for the 3×3 Magic Square, and there are 880 solutions times 8 orientations for the 4×4 Magic Square. That’s a lot of different possible solutions!

I also solved the 12×12 Magic Square by using nine 4×4 Magic Squares and placing them on the second grid in 12 factors 864-874. This arrangement also has many more possibilities than the one shown here.

You can easily solve your own 12×12 Magic Square by opening this excel file, 12 factors 864-874, going to the 12×12 Magic Square tab, and following the directions.

Here’s more about the awesome number 870:

29 × 30 = 870. That means 870 is 29 × (29+1), so 870 is the sum of the first 29 even numbers.

870 is the sum of the ten prime numbers from 67 to 107.

Because 5 and 29 are its factors, 870 is the hypotenuse of four Pythagorean triples: ( Note that 5 × 29 = 145)

  • 102-864-870, which is 6 times (17-144-145)
  • 144-858-870, which is 6 times (24-143-145)
  • 522-696-870, which is (3-4-5) times 174
  • 600-630-870, which is (20-21-29) times 30

870 has some interesting representations in other bases:

  • 606 in BASE 12, because 6(12²) + 0(12¹) + 6(12º) = 6(145) = 870
  • 303 in BASE 17, because 3(17²) + 0(17¹) + 3(17º) = 3(290) = 870
  • 110 in BASE 29, because 1(29²) + 1(29¹) + 0(29º) = 870
  • T0 in BASE 30 (T is 29 base 10), because 29(30¹) + 0(30º) = 29(30) = 870

8 + 0 + 7 + 8³ + 0³ + 7³ = 870. Thank you OEIS.org for that fun fact.

  • 870 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 870 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 29
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 1, 1, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16. Therefore 870 has exactly 16 factors.
  • Factors of 870: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 29, 30, 58, 87, 145, 174, 290, 435, 870
  • Factor pairs: 870 = 1 × 870, 2 × 435, 3 × 290, 5 × 174, 6 × 145, 10 × 87, 15 × 58, or 29 × 30
  • 870 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √870 ≈ 29.495762

869 and Level 3

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8 – 6 + 9 = 11 so 869 is divisible by 11.

869 is equal to the sum of the 21 prime numbers from 5 to 83.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 12 factors 864-874

  • 869 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 869 = 11 × 79
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 869 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 869: 1, 11, 79, 869
  • Factor pairs: 869 = 1 × 869 or 11 × 79
  • 869 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √869 ≈ 29.4788

Palindrome 868 Has a Fun Square Root

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Obviously, 868 is a palindrome in base 10. It has some interesting representations in some other bases, too:

  • 868 is 4004 in BASE 6, because 4(6³) + 0(6²) + 0(6¹) + 4(6º) = 868
  • SS in BASE 30 (S is 28 base 10), because 28(30) + 28(1) = 28(31) = 868
  • S0 in BASE 31, because 28(31) = 868

From OEIS.org I learned that all the digits from 1 to 9 make up the first nine decimal places of √868, so I decided to make a gif showing that fun fact:

Square root of 868

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  • 868 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 868 = 2 × 2 × 7 × 31, which can be written 868 = 2² × 7 × 31
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 2, 1, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (2 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 3 × 2 × 2 = 12. Therefore 868 has exactly 12 factors.
  • Factors of 868: 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 28, 31, 62, 124, 217, 434, 868
  • Factor pairs: 868 = 1 × 868, 2 × 434, 4 × 217, 7 × 124, 14 × 62, or 28 × 31,
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √868 = (√4)(√217) = 2√217 ≈ 29.461839725

867 and Level 2

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867 is composed of three consecutive numbers so 867 is divisible by 3. The middle number of those three numbers, 6, 7, 8 is 7 so 867 is NOT divisible by 9.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 12 factors 864-874

867 is the hypotenuse of two Pythagorean triples:

  • 483-720-867, which is 3 times (161-240-289)
  • 408-765-867 which is (8-15-17) times 51

867 is 300 in BASE 17 because 3(17²) = 867.

  • 867 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 867 = 3 × 17 × 17, which can be written 867 = 3 × 17²
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 2. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(2 + 1) = 2 × 3  = 6. Therefore 867 has exactly 6 factors.
  • Factors of 867: 1, 3, 17, 51, 289, 867
  • Factor pairs: 867 = 1 × 867, 3 × 289, or 17 × 51
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √867 = (√289)(√3) = 17√3 ≈ 29.44486

865 and Level 1

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Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 12 factors 864-874

865 is the sum of two squares two different ways:

  • 28² + 9² = 865
  • 24² + 17² = 865

865 is the hypotenuse of four Pythagorean triples, two of which are primitives:

  • 260-825-865, which is 5 times (52-165-173)
  • 287-816-865, which is 24² – 17², 2(24)(17), 24² + 17²
  • 504-703-865 which is 2(28)(9), 28² – 9², 28² – 9²
  • 519-692-865, which is (3-4-5) times 173

You could see 865’s factors in two of those Pythagorean triples, and here they are again:

  • 865 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 865 = 5 × 173
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 865 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 865: 1, 5, 173, 865
  • Factor pairs: 865 = 1 × 865 or 5 × 173
  • 865 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √865 ≈ 29.41088

864 Factor Trees

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Factor Trees for 864:

The prime factorization of 864 is 2⁵ × 3³. The sum of the exponents is 5 + 3 = 8. Since 8 is a power of 2,  a couple of 864’s factor trees are full and well-balanced:

All of those prime factors lined up in numerical order. That didn’t happen for the next one, but it still makes a good looking tree, and all the prime factors are easy to find.

Is it possible to make a factor tree for 864 that hardly looks like a tree and isn’t as easy to find all the prime factors? Yes, it is. Here’s an example:

Factors of 864:

  • 864 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 864 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3, which can be written 864 = 2⁵ × 3³
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 5 and 3. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (5 + 1)(3 + 1) = 6 × 4 = 24. Therefore 864 has exactly 24 factors.
  • Factors of 864: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 18, 24, 27, 32, 36, 48, 54, 72, 96, 108, 144, 216, 288, 432, 864
  • Factor pairs: 864 = 1 × 864, 2 × 432, 3 × 288, 4 × 216, 6 × 144, 8 × 108, 9 × 96, 12 × 72, 16 × 54, 18 × 48, 24 × 36, or 27 × 32
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √864 = (√144)(√6) = 12√6 ≈ 29.3938769

Sum-Difference Puzzles:

6 has two factor pairs. One of those pairs adds up to 5, and the other one subtracts to 5. Put the factors in the appropriate boxes in the first puzzle.

864 has twelve factor pairs. One of the factor pairs adds up to ­60, and a different one subtracts to 60. If you can identify those factor pairs, then you can solve the second puzzle!

More Facts about the Number 864:

864 looked interesting to me in a few other bases:

  • 4000 BASE 6 because 4(6³) = 864
  • 600 BASE 12 because 6(12²) = 864
  • RR BASE 31 (R is 27 base 10) because 27(31) + 27(1) = 27(32) = 864
  • OO BASE 35 (O is 24 base 10) because 24(35) + 24(1) = 24(36) = 864
  • O0 BASE 36 (Oh zero) because 24(36) + 0(1) = 864

864 is the sum of the 20 prime numbers from 7 to 83.

131 + 137 + 139 + 149 + 151 + 157 = 864; that’s six consecutive primes.

431 + 433 = 864; that’s the sum of twin primes.

864 is in this cool pattern:

 

862 Look What a Little Bit of Spit Can Tell You!

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All four of my husband’s grandparents were born in Hungary.

Recently my husband ordered a DNA kit from ancestry.com. When the kit arrived, he spit into the kit’s tube until his spit reached the indicated line and mailed it back to Ancestry. This week he received his results, and I was thrilled!

I made the map below based on Ancestry’s map of his genetic communities as well as other maps showing what Hungary looked like in the 1800’s. Near the center of the map, we see a rough outline of what Hungary looks like today. When his grandparents were born, Hungary was three times bigger than it is today so I’ve made an outline to show the size of the country that they knew and loved.

Places, where there is DNA similar to that of my husband, are shown in pink. The three red dots indicate the known locations of my husband’s grandparents’ births. The town names are in big bold red letters even though they were all little villages or small towns. Gyoma used to be in the center of Hungary. Now it is very close to the Romanian border. Zádorfalva is barely in the country while Szürte is barely outside. I didn’t indicate it on the map but my husband’s father was born in a little village southeast of Gyoma. It was part of Hungary when he was born but part of Romania now.

This map is not necessarily about where my husband’s grandparents were born, however. This map also shows where some of THEIR ancestors lived hundreds of years ago. Even though TWO of his grandparents were born in Gyoma, the map seems to indicate that their ancestors moved to Gyoma from someplace else. Also, if my husband’s brother took a DNA test, his map would look a little different because a child receives only half of each parent’s DNA, and the half received can vary from child to child.

My husband’s paternal grandfather, István Sallai, was born in Gyoma, as were his parents and grandparents for several generations. Our research goes back to the 1770’s where all of his ancestors were either born in Gyoma or else they moved to Gyoma from Túrkeve, a town 34.8 km to the north. Sallai means “from Salla”, but we are not certain where Salla might have been. Maps give many possibilities. Also, Frank Kery is one of my husband’s second cousins through this line, and he made the list of potential 2nd and 3rd cousins that the DNA test gave. That helps confirm our faith in the accuracy of the test.

István’s wife, Mária Finta, was also born in Gyoma, as were many generations of her family on her father’s side. Her 2nd great-grandfather, Mihály Finta moved to Gyoma from Túrkéve where MANY people with the surname Finta have lived over the years. On the other hand, Mária’s mother was of Slovak ancestry and was born in Szarvas which is 24.4 km to the west of Gyoma. The Lutheran Church in Szarvas kept wonderful records so I was able to find most of her ancestors back to the mid 1700’s. Sometime around or soon after 1720, her Slovak ancestors moved to Szarvas from whatever Slovak town in which they used to reside.

My husband’s maternal grandfather was born in Szürte, Ung county, Hungary which is now part of Ukraine. We do not have access to any records in the area so other than the names of his parents and possibly some siblings, we know very little about his family. This map and ancestry.com’s DNA database will likely match and introduce us to cousins my husband never knew he had.

Zádorfalva is located where most of the pink is concentrated on the map. My husband’s maternal grandmother, Erzsébet Lenkey was born in Zádorfalva. Both of her parents were born to noble families so we have the names of many of her ancestors back as far as the 1200’s for some lines who also lived there. Zádorfalva is still in Hungary near the Slovakian border. The other towns of her ancestry are close-by in what used to be Gömör county, Hungary. Now those towns are on one side or the other of the Hungary-Slovakian border. The Hungarian names for these towns include Alsószuha, Mihályfalva, Horka, and Kövecses. The noble families of these small towns tended to stay in town generation after generation, leaving only if they married into another noble family and relocated to that family’s town. It makes perfect sense to us that this part of the map has the greatest concentration of pink.

I am certain that if you took a DNA test, you would delight in the information given, too! You might also enjoy reading Ancestry.com’s research about DNA and western migration in North America.

Since this is my 862nd post, I’ll now write a little bit about the number 862:

I learned from OEIS.org that the sum of the factors of 862 is not only a perfect square but also a perfect fourth power:

1 + 2 + 431 + 862 = 1296 = 36² = 6⁴.

  • 862 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 862 = 2 × 431
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 862 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 862: 1, 2, 431, 862
  • Factor pairs: 862 = 1 × 862 or 2 × 431
  • 862 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √862 ≈ 29.3598

860 and Level 6

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Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-853-863

860 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple: 516-688-860, which is (3-4-5) times 172.

860 can be written as the sum of four consecutive prime numbers: 199 + 211 + 223 + 227 = 860

  • 860 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 860 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 43, which can be written 860 = 2² × 5 × 43
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 2, 1, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (2 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 3 × 2 × 2 = 12. Therefore 860 has exactly 12 factors.
  • Factors of 860: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 43, 86, 172, 215, 430, 860
  • Factor pairs: 860 = 1 × 860, 2 × 430, 4 × 215, 5 × 172, 10 × 86, or 20 × 43,
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √860 = (√4)(√215) = 2√215 ≈ 29.3257566

858 and Level 4

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There are sixteen numbers less than 1000 that have four different prime factors. 858 is one of them, and it is the ONLY one that is also a palindrome. Thank you, OEIS.org for alerting us to that fact. No smaller palindrome has four different prime factors!

The sixteen products on that chart each have exactly sixteen factors!

Here’s a Find the Factors 1-10 puzzle for you to solve:

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-853-863

Here’s a little more about the number 858:

858 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple: 330-792-858

  • 858 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 858 = 2 × 3 × 11 × 13
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 1, 1, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16. Therefore 858 has exactly 16 factors.
  • Factors of 858: 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 22, 26, 33, 39, 66, 78, 143, 286, 429, 858
  • Factor pairs: 858 = 1 × 858, 2 × 429, 3 × 286, 6 × 143, 11 × 78, 13 × 66, 22 × 39, or 26 × 33
  • 858 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √858 ≈ 29.291637

 

 

856 Rays of Light

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When we learn something new, it is as if rays of light touch our minds. If you know how to multiply and divide, let this puzzle enlighten your mind. Just start at the top of the first column and work down cell by cell until the numbers 1 to 10 have been written in the first column and the top row and those corresponding numbers multiply together to give the clues in the puzzle.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-853-863

 

  • 856 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 856 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 107, which can be written 856 = 2³ × 107
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 3 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (3 + 1)(1 + 1) = 4 × 2 = 8. Therefore 856 has exactly 8 factors.
  • Factors of 856: 1, 2, 4, 8, 107, 214, 428, 856
  • Factor pairs: 856 = 1 × 856, 2 × 428, 4 × 214, or 8 × 107
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √856 = (√4)(√214) = 2√214 ≈ 29.2574777

Here are a few more advanced facts about the number 856:

856 is the 16th nonagonal number because 16(7⋅16-5)/2.

856 is the 19th centered pentagonal number because (5⋅19² + 5⋅19 + 2)/2 = 856.

OEIS.org informs us that if the Fibonacci sequence didn’t start with 1, 1, but instead started with 1, 9, we would get 1, 9, 10, 19, 29, 48, 77, 125, 202, 327, 529, 856, …