Smarandache–Wellin number
Have you ever counted how many things you have? Like how many toys, how many books, or how many friends you have? When we count things, we use numbers like 1, 2, 3, and so on. But have you heard of Smarandache-Wellin numbers?
Smarandache-Wellin numbers are special numbers that have a really cool pattern. They are made by combining two other types of numbers, called prime numbers and factorials.
Prime numbers are numbers that can only be divided equally by themselves and 1. For example, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 are all prime numbers because you can't divide them by any other numbers to get a whole number answer.
Factorials are numbers that are made by multiplying a whole bunch of smaller numbers together. For example, 4 factorial (written as 4!) is 4 x 3 x 2 x 1, which equals 24.
Now, back to Smarandache-Wellin numbers. To make these numbers, we take a prime number, like 2, and raise it to the power of another number that is one less than a factorial. This may sound tricky, but it simply means we take the number that is one less than the factorial (like 4! - 1), and raise the prime number to that power (like 2^(4!-1)).
For example, the first Smarandache-Wellin number is 1, because we start with 2^(0!) - 1, which is just 2^0 - 1, and that equals 1. The second number is 7, because we start with 2^(1!) - 1, which is 2^1 - 1, and that equals 1. Then we move on to 2^(2!-1) -1 which is 2^2 - 1 = 3, then 2^(3!-1) -1 which is 2^5 - 1 = 31, and so on.
These numbers have a very special property. They cannot be divided evenly by any smaller number (other than 1) and they are not prime numbers. They are called Smarandache-Wellin numbers in honor of a mathematician named Florentin Smarandache and a statistician named George Wellin who discovered this pattern.
So, next time you want to impress your friends with a cool math fact, tell them about Smarandache-Wellin numbers and how they are made by combining prime numbers and factorials!
Smarandache-Wellin numbers are special numbers that have a really cool pattern. They are made by combining two other types of numbers, called prime numbers and factorials.
Prime numbers are numbers that can only be divided equally by themselves and 1. For example, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 are all prime numbers because you can't divide them by any other numbers to get a whole number answer.
Factorials are numbers that are made by multiplying a whole bunch of smaller numbers together. For example, 4 factorial (written as 4!) is 4 x 3 x 2 x 1, which equals 24.
Now, back to Smarandache-Wellin numbers. To make these numbers, we take a prime number, like 2, and raise it to the power of another number that is one less than a factorial. This may sound tricky, but it simply means we take the number that is one less than the factorial (like 4! - 1), and raise the prime number to that power (like 2^(4!-1)).
For example, the first Smarandache-Wellin number is 1, because we start with 2^(0!) - 1, which is just 2^0 - 1, and that equals 1. The second number is 7, because we start with 2^(1!) - 1, which is 2^1 - 1, and that equals 1. Then we move on to 2^(2!-1) -1 which is 2^2 - 1 = 3, then 2^(3!-1) -1 which is 2^5 - 1 = 31, and so on.
These numbers have a very special property. They cannot be divided evenly by any smaller number (other than 1) and they are not prime numbers. They are called Smarandache-Wellin numbers in honor of a mathematician named Florentin Smarandache and a statistician named George Wellin who discovered this pattern.
So, next time you want to impress your friends with a cool math fact, tell them about Smarandache-Wellin numbers and how they are made by combining prime numbers and factorials!