Can numbers be narcissistic? As a matter of fact, yes they can be.
What is a narcissistic number? It is a number that is the sum of its own digits when each digit is raised to the power of the number of digits. For example; 407 is a number with three digits, so when we apply the rule to this number, we get:
407 = 43 + 03 + 73 = 64 + 0 + 343
There are 88 narcissistic numbers in total, and the largest one has 39 digits.
Visit numberphile's YouTube channel [video link].
Is there a number you'd like to know something about, but were afraid to ask? There's a handy online number gossip site that tells you all the deep, dark secrets of your favourite number.
Dr Ria Symonds is a Further Mathematics Teaching Officer at the University of Nottingham.
Numberphile is on facebook and can also be found on twitter @numberphile
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9 January 2012 8:20AM
Really? Are you sure? They're not just called that?
9 January 2012 12:36PM
I live at number 153 - and in no way am I a narcissist:-)
9 January 2012 12:43PM
153 was also one my my NYC addresses!
9 January 2012 12:47PM
This is a base dependent property of numbers and therefore of little significance (or interest) at all.
9 January 2012 2:41PM
OK.
9 January 2012 3:06PM
I don't know but.. My father married my mother when he was 23 years 8 months old. I met my (future) wife when I was 23 years 8 months old.
My older brother was born 2 years 7 months later
My son was born 2 years 7 months after I met my wife to be (making my son the same age difference to me as my brother was to my dad - almost to the day)
My brother passed away at 49 years 3 months - my mother died 4 months & a week later. (he would therefore have been 49 years 7 months). I survived a heart attack at 49 years 7 months.
My brother passed away 63 hours after going into hospital (Thurs 9am to Sunday 12 am). So did my mother - from (6pm Sunday to 9 am Wednesday).
My uncle is 4 years 9 months older than his only sister (my mother).
I was 4 years 9 months younger than my (only) brother.
Coincidence? Who knows?
9 January 2012 7:50PM
Yes, as wikipedia says it's (at best) 'recreational number theory', but sometimes such stuff can be fun at least. Here's an example I quite like because it does actually involve a bit of interesting elementary number theory.