On Jan 14, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Mike Dickson wrote:
Here's two clues:
(1) does the table of symbols stay the same for every attempt?
(2) is there more than one way of getting the same symbol?
Explanation:
A two digit number - call it AB in general terms
In base 10, this actually means that the /value/ of the number is (10 x
A) plus B
So the number is is actually 10A + B
Adding the digits together gives you (A + B)
and subtracing them from the general expression is
(10A + B) - (A + B) = 10A + B - A - B = 9A
So the answer is always going to be 9 times the first digit of your
chosen two digit number. So you load the table with the same symbol for
all factors of nine and wait for jaws to drop.
Damn! Another belief dashed on the hard rocks of science. I thought it was magic...