Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-03-18
A PECULIAR NUMBER
SOME RATHER QUEER FACTS ABOUT
THE MAGIC SEVEN.

Remarknble Demonstrations of the
PorentinIity OF This Myatic Number
and mathematical Wonder-Nine Is
Called the Perfect Number.
How the figure Z has been twin.
cd and intertwined in the fabrics OF
superstition, mysticism and religion
has ever been source of wonder
ment even to the deliver into the facts.
From the Come, my seven-e levenw
OF the darby crap shooter to the "sey-
enth daughter Of a seventh daughter of
a seventh daughter" claims Of the
seeress and on to the New Testament
analysis, showing the four gospels to
have been written on an elaborated
scnle OF rs. the student even of these
students finds himself nonplused.
"Oh. he's crazy!'' Is the final conclu-
sion with which the layman who looks
on dismisses the man and the subject.
But that the figure is peculiar
group of integers cannot be denied by
any one who will look a few mathemat-
ical facts In the face
One OF The most remarkable demon
strarions Of the potentially of the fig
ure is found In that old lpooted ques>
tion Of the "squarIng OF the circle"
For all practical purposes in the work.
shop the area of the circular plane is
found by multiplying The diameter Of
the circle by the figures 3141G. But
there are those who question the ac-
culncy Of this fractional multiplicr and
who assert that the relation Of the
diameter to the circle Is exactly the
compound number BIZ and that the
areu Of the circle is found by multi
plying the diameter by this group of
figures.
This makes The decimal group of six
plnces .l42S5T plus. and II Is this dec
imhl group of six places which re-
spends In such striking repetition to
any multirlier aud particularly to the
figure IN its multlples. The fact Is
demonstrated in u moment that to null
tlply this group by the agure = the
product is .eS3Il4. product which re-
only that NIL are transposel in their
order. Multiply this same group by
8 and the product Is .42S5T1, collec-
ton OF the same numerals that are in
the first decimal group, but redlstrlb.
uted. This phenomenon 10 maintained
by multlplications OF 1. s and C, inyarl-
ably producing the numerals .1i2S57,
but in mixed order.
At the application of I. as the multi
plier. however. the product undersoes
n startling transformation. Seven times
the decimal .1I2S57 the product be-.
comes .909999.
Yet, passing the number I, tile figure
8 as a multiplier gives the product
.1142956. Here is the first disarrange-
ment OF the original figures. due to
the fact that the product Is in seven
figures Instead OF product of six
places. But by taking this seventh
place figure and adding it to the first
place figure 6 this multiplication and
addition result in the original six decl.
mails .142S5T Further than this, max
Ing the multlplier 8, the product be-
comes .12S5713. and when the left hand
figure Is added to the right hand fig-
IRE the product and sum are the fig-
ures .2S0T14, which are Identical In ar.
rangement with the product obtained
by multiplying the original .142s57 by
the figure 2 Multiplying by 10, the
product is .l42S5T0, and this, with the
left hand unit trnnsposed to the right
hand cipher place. gives .4oS571, the
product obtained from using the null.
tipie Q. In just this order the other
combined products and. additions ar