# A fun math trick I learned **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215 **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **Created:** [September 23, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215 "2002-09-23T02:24:37Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/1 "2002-09-23T02:24:37Z")
OK, bear with me - its fairly simple to solve, but its fun to do 🙂 It’ll require some back-and-forth, so answer ASAP so I gan get to the next step: Someone give me a four-digit number: ---
### Author: ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/2 "2002-09-23T02:43:55Z")
7695 ---
### Author: ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/3 "2002-09-23T02:48:14Z")
The answer is: 27 693 Now give me another 4 digit number ---
### Author: ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/4 "2002-09-23T03:05:44Z")
I’m going to bed - I’ll finish this tomorrow 🙂 ---
### Author: ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/5 "2002-09-23T03:07:13Z")
'kay. For tomorrow: 4234 ---
### Author: ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/6 "2002-09-23T03:20:50Z")
_For tomorrow: 4234_ **mnemosyne** – any chance the answer is: 13 72 ? (or my other thought is: 13 80 )? ---
### Author: ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/7 "2002-09-23T03:45:05Z")
22346 ---
### Author: ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/8 "2002-09-23T03:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > \*\*I’m going to bed - I’ll finish this tomorrow 🙂 \*\* What a tease! ---
### Author: ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/9 "2002-09-23T13:11:58Z")
/rubes glances around the room, looking puzzled. Can you describe the trick that is allegedly being performed here? ---
### Author: ![lionel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@lionel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lionel) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/10 "2002-09-23T13:15:14Z")
> [@](#): > > The answer is: 27 693 Ah, but what is the question? ---
### Author: ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/11 "2002-09-23T15:51:58Z")
4234 = 24232? ---
### Author: ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/12 "2002-09-23T18:16:27Z")
That was the trick. He left us hangin’. ---
### Author: ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/13 "2002-09-23T18:51:03Z")
I feel so…_used_. ---
### Author: ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/14 "2002-09-23T19:03:34Z")
Is the answer soup? I like soup! ---
### Author: ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/15 "2002-09-23T20:39:29Z")
Yes, this is highly confusing. ---
### Author: ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise) #### Post date: [September 23, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/16 "2002-09-23T22:23:12Z")
A favorite trick I like to pull on little kids: Me: “Hey, kid, I’ve got a great knock-knock joke for you.” Kid: “Okay.” Me: “Say knock-knock.” Kid: “Okay. ‘Knock-knock.’” Me: “Who’s there?” _–stare expectantly at kid–_ _–kid looks back for a couple of seconds–_ Kid: “Hey!” _–kid laughs and goes to pull it on another kid–_ Sound familiar, **mnemosyne**? 😉 ---
### Author: ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour) #### Post date: [September 24, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/17 "2002-09-24T03:16:40Z")
**Hamlet** , I think that **SouprChkn** and I would have to agree with you! 😉 Soup is the cause of…and solution to…all of life’s problems.🆒 ---
### Author: ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola) #### Post date: [September 24, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/18 "2002-09-24T03:40:22Z")
File under “bad threads.” ---
### Author: ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous) #### Post date: [September 24, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/19 "2002-09-24T07:11:23Z")
4234 = 24 232? ---
### Author: ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather) #### Post date: [September 24, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215/20 "2002-09-24T13:07:22Z")
Haha! I love it. Here’s another one – stop me if you’ve heard this already: 34269 432422 323 328690012 432, 1234 46900 89416 165 12 486747 2482491 !! Thanks, I’ll be here all week! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fun-math-trick-i-learned/129215.md?page=2)