Tag Archives: Happy Numbers

Happy Numbers

I found this link while reading Massa P‘s latest entry: happy numbers. Say that again?

I’ve read of perfect numbers from Rom, but happy numbers? Happy numbers? Since when is a number happy? Heck, when was anything in relation to Math happy? (Well, okay fine, Math did had it bright moments in my memories, but not always)

According to Wikipedia, a happy number is:

A happy number is defined by the following process: starting with any positive integer, the following process can be applied: replace the number by the sum of the squares of its digits, and repeat the process until the number equals 1 (where it will stay), or it loops endlessly in a cycle which does not include 1.

For example:

72 = 49
42 + 92 = 97
92 + 72 = 130
12 + 32 + 02 = 10
12 + 02 = 1

That kind of makes sense. Let’s try another one, a bigger number. Like…365.

32 + 62 + 52 = 70
72 + 02 = 7
72 = 49
42 + 92 = 97
92 + 72 = 130
12 + 32 + 02 = 10
12 + 02 = 1

Excuse me for being so geeky…but coolness!

And if there’s a happy number, apparently, there also is an unhappy number. Like, 366.

32 + 62 + 62 =81
82 + 12 = 65
62 + 52 = 61
62 + 12 = 37
32 + 72 = 58
52 + 82 = 89

And so on…

Well that was cool. However, this statement kind of made me feel like someone’s pulling my leg with this entire happy number thing:

If a number is happy, then all members of its sequence are happy; if a number is unhappy, all members of its sequence are unhappy.

Um. Right. Doesn’t that sound like a joke to you or something?

Anyway, just some randomness this Friday. I’m semi-sick, but I think I managed to get out of the fever zone but now my nose is stuffed and my throat is still scratchy…but I’ll survive. Total rest this weekend, definitely. :)

Happy Number Friday, everyone!