#number patterns

So I'm assuming everyone knows the thing about 5 and multiples of 5; if it ends with a 5 or 0, then the number can be divided by 5. And if you multiply anything by 5, the product will end with 5 or 0.

But there is another pattern:

5 • any odd number = a number ending with 5 (examples: 5•5= 25, 5•3=15, 5•9=45)

Pine Cones and the Fibonacci Sequence

While we’re on the topic of pine cones, have you ever considered their scales and the spirals they form? Nature is replete with spirals, so perhaps it’s no surprise that they are found in pine cones. The more interesting thing is that the number of spirals found on pine cones are almost always Fibonacci numbers. But maybe that’s not that surprising either, as Fibonacci numbers are also pretty…

15. What's a topic that fascinates me? Well, Number patterns always fascinate me, because I'm a big ol' math nerd! For instance, just the other day, I saw a post about the rule of "divisible by 3", and remarks about 51 being divisible by 3, and so on. My brain immediately tried to apply the same "divisible by 3" rule to multiples of 7, because sevens are always a fun base for experimentation. What I discovered is that if you add the digits of multiples of seven down to a single digit, it creates a series as such:

7 -- 7

14 -- 5

21 -- 3

28 -- 10 -- 1

Where each successive sum is 2 integers less than the previous. Now when we cross 0 we have to add an extra integer in the series, since each sum can never be 0.

35 -- 8

42 -- 6

49 -- 13 -- 4

56 -- 11 -- 2

63 -- 9

70 -- 7

And so it goes. There's probably a better way to express this series identity, but it fascinates me where these patterns spring up, regardless.

17. What's my favorite book? I actually just finished rereading The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks, and I think I would say first book of that series, The Way of Shadows, is probably very near the top of my list. Highly recommended if High Fantasy and Assassins are your jam!!

Otherwise, I just started getting into the Dresden Files, and book 2 - Fool Moon was very enjoyable. Jim Butcher has a very cool way of adding magic and fantasy into modern settings. Still on my list is Brandon Sanderson and his various works, as well as N.K. Jemisin, who has been very highly recommended by a few of my friends who are much more well read than I am.