Singapore Math: palindrome

Showing posts with label palindrome. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How to Choose Your Marriageable Date

If you were of marriageable age and weren't superstitious, how would you go about choosing your wedding date, one that would help you to remember your wedding anniversary for a long time? One rational, yet free, approach is to choose a “marriageable date.”

A marriageable date may be defined as one that is based on some simple numerical pattern, which a couple can easily remember long after the wedding day is over.

Socially speaking, marriageable dates ought to be religion-free and race-free—they should be derived from some easily recognizable patterns.

Economically speaking, it doesn’t cost more than a few drops of ink to write the memorable date, free from any numerological calculation or influence of a fortune-teller or New Age charlatan.

Sociologically speaking, tying the knot on a marriageable date helps you to divorce yourself from any irrationality and superstition that certain dates in a given year are more auspicious than others.

Palindromic Dates

A palindrome is a word that spells the same when read forward or backward. For instance, MADAM and EVE. And some palindromic sentences or phrases that sound mathematical are

I prefer pi. Never odd or even

In mathematical parlance, a palindromic number is one that reads the same when its digits are reversed. Examples of palindromes are 101, 313, 10301, 23432, and 3535353.

Now, let's look at some palindromic dates, the British way:

11th November 2011: 11/11/11 11th February 2011: 11/02/2011

21st November 2012: 21/11/12 21st February 2012: 21/02/2012

31st March 2013: 31/3/13 31st August 2013: 31/8/13

@ NewYorker: A palindrome cartoon by Paul Karasik

Prior to 2013, we had "hot dates," such as the following:

20th November 2012: 20/11/2012 or 20112012

20th December 2011: 20/12/2011 or 20122011

20th December 2012: 20/12/2012 or 20122012

What about 20th December 2013? 20/12/2013 or 20122013

Other patternful or pseudo-patternful dates in 2013 are:

1/12/13 2/11/13 12/1/13 9/11/13

13/2/13 13/11/13 11/12/13 11/2/13

The Beasted Date

On 6th June 2006, the date was “060606”—the beasted date that would have made some hardcore believers sick, sick, sick! But in Singapore, it was considered an “auspicious" date which led 310 couples to tie the knot at the Registry of Marriages (ROM). And in Penang, Malaysia, 89 couples also took advantage of that allegedly “lucky” date.

On 3rd March 2003, the date “030303” drew 163 weddings. Based on the DDMMYY pattern, there was also a record of couples tying the knot on 12 December 2012.

The Friday the Thirteenths

Another group of quasi-marriageable dates that superstitious couples usually avoid are those that fall on a Friday the 13th. Two such “unlucky” dates in 2013 that rational folks could leverage on to book their D-Days are:

13th September: 13/9/13

13th December: 13/12/13

The Ghost Month—a Most Marriageable Month

Inauspicious or ill-omened dates superstitious Chinese couples shy away occur during the Seventh Lunar Month, or Ghost Month. This is when rational and budget-conscious couples ought to hold their weddings—when most hotels are charging patrons a promotional rate. Besides, since many irrational or fearful couples avoid tying the knot during the seventh month, the saving for holding a grand wedding at a five-star hotel, at a reasonable price, on any of those "unlucky" days, can be quite significant.

Dates with Consecutive Numerals

One set of marriageable dates involves having the day, month, and year in consecutive order:

8th July: 08/07/06 9th August: 09/08/07

13th December: 13/12/11 11th December: 11/12/13

Odd- and Even-numbered Dates

Another set of hot wedding dates have the day, month, and year, in increasing or decreasing multiples of a whole number.

8th October: 8/10/12 9th November: 9/11/13

7th October: 7/10/13 4th August: 4/8/12

3rd August: 3/8/13 14th December: 14/12/10

How many such marriageable dates are there in the Lunar Year of the Snake?

Sierpinski Valentine
© xkcd.com

D-Day on Valentine's Day

A record 1080 couples registered their marriage on Valentine's Day in 1995, as the Chinese considered it a Double Happiness Day—it coincided with the Chinese version of the Valentine's Day, also known as yuan xiao jie, which is on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese New Year. What's your prediction on February 14, 2013?

Symbolically, tying the knot on Valentine's Day may prove memorable, but unaffordable to many couples as they look for a wallet-friendly hotel to hold their wedding and their subsequent wedding anniversaries.

Date and Time Included

If we marry the time with the date, more interesting patterns emerge. For example, on 4th May 2006 at 8 minutes and 9 seconds, after 7am, the date and time spelled out as

04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09

Or, on 5th June 2007 at 9 minutes 10 seconds past eight, we had:

05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10

Can you think of some memorable dates in 2013 and beyond, following a similar pattern?

British (UK) versus American (US) Dates

All the above patternful dates and times are based on the British way of writing dates and times. If we write dates and times the American way, a new set of marriageable dates are generated.

In British English, dates are generally written with no comma between the month and year: 7 May 2013. American English prefers the style May 7 2013 or May 7, 2013.

In numerical notation, there is a difference: 7/5/13 means 7 May 2013 in Britain and 5 July 2013 in America.

So, decide in advance whether you want to wed in a country where they follow the British or American system of writing numerals. A rational option may save you a few hundred or thousand bucks!

Conclusion

The beauty and utility of marriageable dates is that they don't have to tie up with astrology or geomancy to be sanctioned—they're free from any pseudoscientific influences, which would save you, at the least, a few hundred or thousand dollars and months of headache. Marriageable dates are based purely on meaningful patterns; besides, they provide no excuse for any party in future to forget their wedding anniversary. Indeed, nothing is left to chance and randomness, or fear and superstition.

Patternful dates are more interesting and memorable than geomancized or numerological dates. In addition, a by-product of marriageable dates can prove mathematically educational, as compared to feng shui-formulated dates, which are credulously auspicious and costly. One is based on logic and reason; the other is based on irrationality and fear. So, let's marry reason and patterns to choose our wedding date, while divorcing ourselves from any superstition and irrational fear.

Questions

1. How many palindromic “marriageable dates” are there in 2013, if they are written in both British and American English?

2. A set of hot wedding dates have the month, day, and year, in ascending or descending order. For example, 9/11/13 and 12/10/8. How many such odd- and even-numbered dates are there in 2013, if dates are written the American way?

3. On October 11, 2012, at 8 minutes and 9 seconds after 7 o’clock, some Americans expressed the time as follows: 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. How many similar dates can be expressed in this century? How would the answer change if the dates were written the British way?

4. Who would be "luckier," by having more "marriageable dates" in a typical year? Those who write their dates the American or British way? Explain.

References

Deng, Fern (2006). Devilish or not, 666 is hot wedding date. The Straits Times, June 7, 2006, p. H4.

Koh, Melody (2006). 06.06.06 was a lucky date for them. Today, June 7, 2006, p. 6.

A devil of a date. The Straits Times, June 5, 2006, p. 12.

'030303' draws 163 weddings. Streats. March 3, 2003, p. 2.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Thank you, Math!

Journal writing in mathematics education is often perceived as a boring activity in getting students to reflect on their own mathematical thinking. Perhaps an appealing way to assess students' mastery of mathematical concepts is to encourage them to write "mathematical letters" to a buddy in the form of "thanks goodness for anything numerical or mathematical."

Let's look at a sample of these math-lite correspondences.

Dear Numbers

Thank you for being such a buddy I can always count on. You don't change because of geography or history. A while ago, you gave me an idea to blog on "Singapore Math by Numbers." Without you, the world would come to a standstill. You numbers don't just rule the world; today, you've been semi-elevated to a god—with all your metrics and analytics.

Numerically yours

Dear Calculus book

Thank you for letting me use you as a weight or support. Your thickness scares the hell out of so many otherwise intelligent mortals, especially those who have had an unpleasant experience with their high school math teachers. Besides, I use you as an inexpensive cure to help my friends and loved ones, who are suffering from insomnia—your deltas and epsilons are sufficient to hypnotize the hardcore sufferers.

Infinitesimally yours

Dear 1001

You're a mirror to my numerical soul. Indeed, you provided me with so many oddities and idiosyncrasies about the Palindromic Family. In fact, I've started writing the first few chapters of "The Joy (and Pain) of Palindromic Numbers."

Palindromically yours

Dear LOGIC

Thanks for being such a reliable companion in my dealing with irrational and illogical folks. Your cold, austere character has put off many egos, who would otherwise have trampled over the rest of us.

Logically yours

An i-protractor
© 1mobile.com

Dear Protractor

I hope you won't go the way of the abacus or slide rule, because I'm seeing lesser use of you these days. Anyway, I promise to keep you as a vintage math instrument for my grandchildren.

Dear Compasses & Unmarked Ruler

Thank you for frustrating and humbling thousands of our mathematical forefathers in their futile attempts to constructing a square with the same area of a circle. To revive your popularity, I'll be conducting an enrichment math lesson on The Lost Art of the Compass.

Christmas all year-round

Dear 25

Thanks for confiding with me some of your innermost secrets, which allowed me to write some parallelisms between the king of the public holidays and the queen of the sciences. Don't worry, I'll dedicate CHRISTmaths to you on its silver edition.

Joyfully yours

Join the CHRISTmaths fan page.

Dear Boring Math Teacher

You provide jobs to half a dozen tutors, as they try to teach the most disliked subject in school in a less parrot-like manner! And your boring test of artificial questions only serves as a filter to separate the nerd from the herd—the mathematical goats from the sheep.

Dear Probability

Thanks for mocking my intuition and flawed logic. The answers to your problems have humbled the mathematical brethren, as you tease them with your counter-intuitive results.

Dear FRENCH

Thank you for making me pronounce the first part of the word "factorize" to sound like the four-letter word. To test my hypothesis, I tried that trick on my French female teacher many moons ago, and the class then couldn't control themselves but burst into laughter*.

Fact-ally yours

* Try this trick on your French-speaking friends and fans who speak English as a second or third language.

Dear Math Editor

Thank you for introducing me to so many conceptual and linguistic faux pas—I couldn't have fabricated them without your poor grammar and punctuation, and shaky grasp of some difficult mathematical concepts. Some are jaw-achingly funny. My collection of your blunders is growing, and I couldn't wait to compile them in a book for green editors. If only I knew earlier that "poor writes" could open up the doors to many freelance assignments.

Dear Dice

Thank you for feeling so good in my hand and for showing me so many different possible outcomes. You've taught me a lot about chance and probability, and you look pretty sitting on my book shelves. That's where you'll stay. Love, Leah.

Dear Sex

Thank you for revealing to me your intimate liaison with the most boringly taught and disliked subject in school. And for giving me enough materials to writing and getting "Mathematics And Sex" published. Indeed, MATH is a four-letter word!

Dear Chess

Thank you for using me to beat those older and smarter chaps. Mentally satisfying to "humble" them! But I can't stand you when you used the same trick on me years later—when those young geeks refused to let me win or draw even one game.

Dear Calculators

Although you had atrophied my mental calculation abilities, however, you're a God-sent tool to working out those tedious and mindless computations. I'm totally dependent on you for my everyday numerical chores—from calculating the waiter's tip to finding the amount I owe to the credit card companies. On the negative side, you've upped my innumeracy index by a dozen points. On a positive note, I wished you'd upgrade yourself to becoming an instrument of desire, just like the iPad.

Dear Amazon.com

A trick-and-tricky math book

Thank you for showcasing our math titles on your site, but we hate that 55 percent you're charging us every time there is an order for our books. When we factor in the time we need to dispatch them, and the shipping freight, most of us are only operating at a negative profit! Plus, your payment in US dollars, and your reluctance to link with PayPal, makes authors living outside the US hesitant to promote their titles on Amazon.

Dear ZERO

Thanks for sharing with me how you're once marginalized by your fellow numerals, and how you're even ostracized by the Catholic Church for calling you the "infidel zero." Your forgiving spirit towards the Pope and his bishops, and your revelation to Newton and gang regarding some of your oddities and idiosyncrasies, had earned you a numerical place in the Mathematical Hall of Fame. However, your critics never cease to call you the "troublesome zero."

Dear NOTHING

Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art since Pollock (Bollingen)

Folks always mistake you for the numeral zero—both of you are like faux twins. Zero is nothing, and nothing is zero. In fact, you're anything but nothing—you're something! Philosophers and mystics curse or deify you, with their ever-convoluted arguments—they've almost elevated you to the status of an atheistic religion.

There's almost an alphabet for your name: abyss, chasm, emptiness, hole, pit, void, nothingness, nada, naught, …, nil, nix, zilch.

books.google.com

Dear Empty Set

Thank you for causing so much confusion among school kids. Do you exist or not? Are you really a set? Are you like a club with no members? Or, a bag without items? You're like something with zero nothings.

Dear Imaginary Numbers

Once upon a time, they denied your existence, just like your rejected, dejected, and ejected cousins, the negative numbers. But today, like zero, you're having the last laugh; in fact, we often take you, guys, for granted, albeit you prefer to keep a low profile. I wished school teachers won't tell the kids that you're complex, when you're really simple to manage.

Dear May 1

This is the only date in the year, when working folks don't have to labor. A day of protests and political rallies, you remind the masses of Karl Marx's words that workers of the world must unite—that they have nothing to lose but their chains.

Dear Black Hole

It's beyond my reasoning ability to understand the math that predicted your existence. Thank God, He produces a few Hawkings among His creation every century or so to reveal your galactic existence and importance.

Dear Sudoku

You give me hope that in my golden years my chances of dying from schizophrenia or dimentia are significantly reduced if I indulge myself to playing with you more often.

Dear Numerology

From the simple idea of digital root, you manage to bluff tens of millions of numerically challenged folks into believing that they can predict their good and bad days, and that they can take control of their future from their birthdates. Indeed, a pseudo-equation of yours is: f(birthdate) = lucky/unlucky days

Dear iPhone

Thank you for saving me the trouble of having to carry a scientific calculator around. Yes, by a mere 90-degree turn, you magically turn yourself from a four-function to a scientific calculator. I look forward to seeing you functioning as a graphing calculator in a-not-too-distant upgrade. Hope you can strike a deal with Texas or Casio, just like you did with HP.

Dear Statistics

Thank you for revealing to me all your curves and standard deviations. However, I'm still confused about your three musketeers: mean, mode, and median. Which mean do you mean? Now I understand why some folks call you "Sadistic Statistics" for torturing hundreds of thousands of students every day.

Dear 13

I know you didn't deserve that awful publicity surrounding your name, especially when those superstitious folks wickedly try to associate you with some black Friday. You're just an innocent-looking prime who had suffered so much—far worse than 666 and 4444.

Thank you for providing me with rich materials to write about, every time you fall on a Friday. We, recreational math enthusiasts, feel a bit like "numerical hypocrites," when we can't help but gossip about the numerical quirks of Friday 13.

Un-triskaidekaphobically yours

Dear Death

Thanks for being the great equalizer. You won't let the rich and the powerful, or the arrogant and the haughty, live beyond their undeservedly numbered days. Three scores and ten, or a billion odd heartbeats—that's your deadline to them, all!

It's now time to write and e-mail some math-lite letters to the rest of us to read and enjoy!

Mathematically yours

Reference
Dieterich, L. (2011). thx thx thx: thank goodness for everything. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. thxthxthx.com

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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How to Choose Your Marriageable Date

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Thank you, Math!

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