FIGURE TRICK

Radio Record, 7 August 1936, Page 56

FIGURE TRICK

SK someone to write down a number of three figures, then " to reverse the number, subtract the smaller of the two from the. greater, and write.on a separate slip-of paper the first. figure of the remainder. This is handed to us, when we complete the number by writing down the other two figures. This trick depends upon a curious arithmeétical principle. The result. of doing as above, except in one special case, which we shall see presently, is always to leave a remainder of three figures, of which the middle one is nine, and the first and last, added together, also make nine. For instance, suppose the num--ber first written.down to be.623. This reversed-is 326, and if 326 be deducted from 623 the remainder will’: 297. The figure written down and given to the performer is therefore a 2, and such being the case the last must be a 7. Knowing beforehand that the middle one is a 9, he has no difficulty in naming the number. | os pod ; , ma The only exception to the rule is where we are told that. the first figure of the remainder-is a nine. Then we may be cer-., tain that the number in question ‘consists of two figures only ~--namely, 99,