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180 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2003
220 : 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 10 + 11 + 20 + 22 + 44 + 55 + 110 = 284
220 = 142 + 71 + 4 + 2 + 1 : 284
"That's right! The sum of the factors of 220 is 284, and the sum of the factors of 284 is 220. They're called 'amicable numbers,' and they're extremely rare. Fermat and Descartes were only able to find one pair each. They're linked to each other by some divine scheme, and how incredible that your birthday and this number on my watch should be just such a pair."
Since Enatsu had retired long before Root was born, he’d gone to the library to find out about him. He learned that he had a career record of 206 wins, 158 losses, 193 saves, with 2,987 strikeouts. He’d hit a home run in his second at bat as a pro; he had short fingers for a pitcher. He’d struck out his great rival, Sadaharu Oh, more than any other pitcher, but he’d also surrendered the most home runs to him. In the course of their rivalry, however, he’d never hit Oh with a pitch. During the 1968 season, he set a world record with 401 strikeouts, and after the 1975 season (the year the Professor’s memory came to an end), he’d been traded to the Nankai Hawks….
He’d chosen 28. Enatsu had played his whole career with a perfect number on his back!
⊹ eternal truths are ultimately invisiible, and you won’t find them in material things or natural phenomena, or even in human emotions. mathematics, however, can illuminate them, can give them expression—in fact, nothing can prevent it from doing so.
⊹ the truly correct proof is one that strikes a harmonious balance between strength and flexibility. there are plenty of proofs that are technically correct but are messy and inelegant or counterintuitive. but it’s not something you can put into words—explaining why a formula is beautiful is like trying to explain why the stars are beautiful.
⊹ solving a problem for which you know there’s an answer is like climbing a mountain with a guide, along a trail someone else has laid. in mathematics, the truth is somewhere out there in a place no one knows, beyond all the beaten paths. and it’s not always at the top of the mountain. it might be in a crack on the smoothest cliff or somewhere deep in the valley.
⊹ the mathematical order is beautiful precisely because it has no effect on the real world.life isn’t going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers.