How this special number 73 was discovered?
A proof co-authored by Dartmouth mathematics professor emeritus Carl Pomerance and Morningside College mathematics professor Chris Spicer appeared on an episode of the television series, “The Big Bang Theory” on April 18. The proof, which was featured on a whiteboard in the background of the show, reveals the uniqueness of the number 73.
Sheldon Cooper, one of the main characters on “The Big Bang Theory,” first expressed his affinity for the number 73 during the show’s 73rd episode, “The Alien Parasite Hypothesis,” which aired in 2010.
“The best number is 73,” Cooper explained in the episode. “Why? 73 is the 21st prime number. Its mirror, 37, is the 12th, and its mirror, 21, is the product of multiplying seven and three ... and in binary, 73 is a palindrome, 1001001, which backwards is 1001001.”
After the episode aired, Spicer, along with two Morningside College students, Jessie Byrnes and Alyssa Turnquist, published a 2015 article in Math Horizons, an undergraduate-focused journal, discussing the potential of creating a proof for Cooper’s claims.
“I really was just watching an episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ back in 2014 where Sheldon made his claim,” Spicer said. “I was intrigued, so I asked a couple students of mine to see if they could prove it.”
Pomerance said that he first discovered the Math Horizons article back in 2015 and sent a brief email to Spicer. However, he did not follow-up with Spicer until last summer, when he contacted Spicer about working together to create a proof. Spicer said that after about 130 emails exchanged between the two mathematicians, they had figured out the proof.
Conclusion
Been amazed by knowing the logic behind the special number 73 math is magical in many ways. They hold great mathematical mysteries in them and have continuously piqued the interests of mathematicians all over the world ever since mathematician Elucid of Alexandria quoted that: ‘Prime numbers have no end.’
What type of a number is 73?
73 (seventy-three) is the natural number following 72 and preceding 74. In English, it is the smallest natural number with twelve letters in its spelled out name.
You can know more about prime numbers.
What are prime numbers, and why are they so vital to modern life?
Prime numbers are cool. As Carl Sagan points out so eloquently in the novel Contact, there’s a certain importance to their status as the most fundamental building block of all numbers, which are themselves the building blocks of our understanding of the universe.
About Cuemath
Cuemath, a student-friendly mathematics platform, conducts regular Online Classes for academics and skill-development and their Mental Math App, on both iOS and Android, is a one-stop solution for kids to develop multiple skills.Understand the Cuemath fee structure and sign up for a free trial.
FAQ’s
What is the prime factorization of 73?
Prime factorization: 73 is prime. The exponent of prime number 73 is 1. Adding 1 to that
exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 73 has exactly 2 factors
What numbers can 73 be divided by?
73 is a prime number from 1-100. 73 has 2 factors, 1 and 73.
Why are they called "prime" numbers?
They're "prime" in the sense that they "come first", in that we can get all of the others (composite numbers) by combining them through multiplication. When Euclid first wrote about them in his Elements, he used the Greek word "πρωτος" ("protos"), early translations of which were given as "prime", the word that has been used ever since.
