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From: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: A number theory problem
Message-ID: <770@lsuc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 20:59:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: lsuc.770
Posted: Wed Aug 28 20:59:10 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 05:55:44 EDT
References: <388@aero.ARPA>
Reply-To: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 20
Summary: In what OTHER way is 1729 unusual?


> Most of you have probably heard the story of Ramanujan, who was riding
> in the cab with a friend. They were discussing his room number 1729,
> when his friend remarked that it was an uninteresting number.
> "Oh no" Ramanujan replied. "it is the smallest number that can be written
> as the sum of two cubes in two different ways".

Actually, Hardy took CAB number 1729 to visit Ramanujan.

The interesting thing here is that 1729 is even more interesting than
Ramanujan mentioned.  It is not the smallest number to have a certain
other property, but it IS the THIRD-smallest, and that makes the property
pretty rare.  Combining this property with the UNRELATED one that
Ramanujan mentioned makes 1729 very interesting indeed!

What property am I talking about?

I'll post the answer in a few days if I don't see it posted first.

Mark Brader