# Another Math Puzzle

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 19, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929 "2004-02-19T02:31:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pcroughn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/977dab/32.png) [@pcroughn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pcroughn)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/1 "2004-02-19T02:31:17Z")

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JamesCarroll has inspired me…

Can you express 81=81 as a limerick?

If you know it, don’t spoil it for anyone else. Let’s make it a contest to see who can figure it out first.

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**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/2 "2004-02-19T03:09:14Z")

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What the hell:

There once was a number nine squared  
With interesting properties unshared  
Imagine his surprise  
The day he realized  
He’s just like 18, only backward.

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**Author:** ![pcroughn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/977dab/32.png) [@pcroughn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pcroughn)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/3 "2004-02-25T16:41:08Z")

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Well, not that anyone cares, but the answer is:

( (12 + 144 + 20 + 3 Sqrt[4]) / 7 ) + 5\*11 = 9Sq + 0

That is:

A dozen, a gross, and a score,  
Plus three times the square root of four,  
Divided by seven,  
Plus five times eleven,  
Is nine squared and not one bit more.

Hey, at least Cabbage tried…

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**Author:** ![JS\_Princeton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JS\_Princeton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JS_Princeton)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/4 "2004-02-25T20:18:46Z")

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There are quite a few, actually.

For example:

1+1+1  
+1+1+1  
+18+18  
+18+18  
+2=81

0x0x0  
+0+0+0  
+80+1  
=81  
+0+0+0

just subsitute “plus” for “+”, “times” for “x”, and “equals” for =

say the number for the rest.

I think this is a rather dull game, actually.

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**Author:** ![JS\_Princeton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JS\_Princeton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JS_Princeton)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/5 "2004-02-25T20:22:36Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> 1+1+1  
> +1+1+1  
> +18+18  
> +18+18  
> +2=81

It would be just my luck that I mistyped.

Just replace the two with a three and the equation is correct.

Sorry.

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**Author:** ![pcroughn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/977dab/32.png) [@pcroughn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pcroughn)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-math-puzzle/229929/6 "2004-02-25T22:05:18Z")

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Well, the way you play it is.