Saturday 23 February 2013

Odd maths

So I've picked up on a pattern involving square numbers.  I've been running numbers all morning since I spotted the pattern and I'm convinced that this is actually a thing.  Okay, here goes:


If AxA=B
And (A-1)x(A+1)=C
Then C=B-1

Or

4x4=16
(4-1=3)x(4+1=5)=15
15=16-1

5x5=25
4x6=24

6x6=36
5x7=35

And so on.  I haven't yet found a set of numbers that this fails on, provided that you start with a number timesed by itself.  Is this like a known thing?  Does it have some kind of a name?  Because it's pretty cool - useless, but cool.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Cool Animal of the Month, 02/13: The Shouty Corvid of Twickenham

I haven't yet gotten a decent photo, but I'll update this when I do.  The Shouty Corvid of Twickenham is a bird - possibly a raven but I reckon it looks more like a carrion crow - who hangs around on King Street in Twickenham.  Its main pastime is perching off the end of bus stop roofs and shouting at passers-by.  I have no idea why the Corvid does this, but being such a character it's become very much a feature of the high street here.

Serious gardening next week.