Math Is Fun Forum

A week Diwali break!
(Diwali is the most important festivel for Hindus, the festival of color and lights, sweets and fireworks! The festival celebrated for victory of good over evil!)

Problem # k + 42

On a deserted island live five people and a monkey. One day everybody gathers coconuts and puts them together in a community pile, to be divided the next day. During the night one person decides to take his share himself. He divides the coconuts into five equal piles, with one coconut left over. He gives the extra coconut to the monkey, hides his pile, and puts the other four piles back into a single pile. The other four islanders then do the same thing, one at a time, each giving one coconut to the monkey to make the piles divide equally. What is the smallest possible number of coconuts in the original pile?

That was intentional.

Abbr. Sr.
Used as a courtesy title before the surname, full name, or professional title of a man in a Spanish-speaking area.
Used as a form of polite address for a man in a Spanish-speaking area.
(Spanish)

Problem # k + 41

Prove that the number 512³ + 675³ + 720³ is not prime.

Well done, Mathsy!

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends, if they are okay, then...

I am Ganesh, from Chennai, India, one of the Moderators.

Hi m_f,
Welcome to the forum.
Nice pic.

sin(x)  = sin(0) + xcos(0) −x²sin(0)/2! − x³ cos(0)/3!
+ x^4 sin(0)/4! - x^5 cos(0)/5! + ...............
= x - x³/3! + x^5/5! - x^7/7!................

Let white=0, black=1;
white + black = 0 + 1 = 1 = black
white + white = 0 + 0 = 0 = white, Proved!

For A), B) please give some time. Yes, Proofs aren't too easy. They are time consuming.

This page would be of help.
A linear equation has to necessarily be of degree 1. (degree of a polynomia or an equation is the highest power of any varibale)