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From: jankok@zuring.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: A number theory problem
Message-ID: <239@zuring.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 11:40:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: zuring.239
Posted: Wed Aug 28 11:40:44 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Aug-85 08:48:23 EDT
References: <388@aero.ARPA>
Reply-To: jankok@zuring.UUCP (Jan Kok)
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 12
Apparently-To: rnews@mcvax.LOCAL

In article 170 Bill Sinclair reminds us of the story of Ramanujan,
discussing his room number 1729 with a friend.

The story is told in the following way by Newman (in J.R. Newman (ed.)
The world of Mathematics, Vol. I, p. 375, Simon and Schuster, 1956).
Newman quoted Hardy, probably from his obituary of Ramanujan, who wrote
that he rode in a taxi with number 1729 to Ramanujan who lay ill at
Putney. When arrived they discussed the number.

I do not know a solution to the question. I expect that numbers exist
which can be split three times, if the amount of numbers which can
be split twice is large or infinite.