Four Fours

40 = 44 - (sqrt4+sqrt4)

39=44-(sqrt4/.4)
I think we are into slightly easier territory now (for a little while) so I hope no one else gives up. Have set this as the Easter egg challenge for the family!

soontobe Yes, I agree! I'm seeing '4's in my sleep

crun and Alygran Thanks for demos and info... I shall attempt 38.

38 = 4!+(4×4)-sqrt4

I'm not sure I can see what it is you disagree with.

Sorry crun, I do not agree, but I can't be bothered to argue the point. I'll pass on this game, it's getting boring.

Pompa you're confusing algebra with computing. Computers can't represent recurring decimals because they don't have an infinite number of digits, hence your use of the INT( ) statement.

You can't write an infinite number of digits on paper either, of course, but that's why we have the notation for recurring decimals.

Alygran I know it's only three fours, it was a response to pompa's post above. Not a complete answer in itself, but a building block to make them from.

Pompa it is exact: 44/99 = .4'

therefore: 44/.4' =99

A recurring decimal is one that repeats all the way to infinity, so there's an infinitely small error, ie. an error of zero, ie. exact.

I believe that int(4/.4') should be used if 9 is required.

The term "int" has several uses, one is that it is the integer part of a number. eg int(9.999999) = 9

But I'm sure there are simpler solutions.

As far as I am aware .4' means a repeating decimal eg .44444444444444444 etc, so the answer would never be an integer, a very close approximation perhaps but never exact.

so 4/.4' would be 9.00000000000000.....9

Or does .4' mean something different ?

That's only 3 fours. .44' perhaps?

44/.4' = 99

An integer, but not very useful until we get nearer 100

Not sure that using 44/.4' is valid as the answer will never be integer 9 but something greater than 9

37 = 4! + (4! + sqrt4) / sqrt4

Two of us typing at the same time.

4/9 = .4444444444444................. (point four recurring)

The correct way of denoting this is to write .4 with a dot over the 4, but since the computer keyboard won't do that, I suggested at the top of the thread using .4' instead.

(Four to the power four is written as a 4 with a superscript 4, but as the board doesn't support that either, the usual computer way of typing it is: 4^4)

That's right jb

stb .4' is point 4 recurring. When you divide it into 4 you get 9. Very useful for the tricky odd numbers.

No idea. Because I have lost track of what a 4' is.

Not 100% confident about this but, hey ho will give it a try and no doubt someone will let me know if it's rubbish...

37 = 4!+4+4/.4'

4! = 24
sqrt4 = 2
4/.4' = 9

35 = 24+2+9

or this is much simpler and more tidy:

35 = 4!+44/4

I think it may be time for me to quit!

pardon? That makes 39 by my wrong reckoning.

24 + 6/.4

35 = 4!+sqrt4+4/.4’

36 = 4! +4 +4 +4

Give up. Cant do 35.

Ariadne & Theseus

I had to Google those two, but I should have remembered them, they remind me of Mr Garlick again. When he wasn't teaching us maths he was trying to teach us Latin, and when he got fed up of banging his head against the wall he gave up and read us Greek mythology instead.

The Latin class was chaos, there was one kid who wanted to be a doctor, another who wanted to be a lawyer, and 28 who didn't want to be there at all because they'd chosen to do German instead.

Theseus is on his fourth sheet of A4; he says he had forgotten this and is thoroughly enjoying it.. His degrees are in Maths etc. which is why he finds it fun. So thank you! Makes a change from the Killer Su Doku, he says!