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Efficient Definitions

Efficient Definitions

Posers and Puzzles


A number definition is "efficient" if it has fewer words than the number does when said in English.
E.g. 125 is "One hundred and twenty five", which is 5 words. So "Five Cubed" would be an efficient way of defining it.

100 and below are only one or two words, but numbers above 100 are at least 4 words.

Can we find efficient definitions for 101 to 199?


@iamatiger said
A number definition is "efficient" if it has fewer words than the number does when said in English.
E.g. 125 is "One hundred and twenty five", which is 5 words. So "Five Cubed" would be an efficient way of defining it.

100 and below are only one or two words, but numbers above 100 are at least 4 words.

Can we find efficient definitions for 101 to 199?
Five binary.

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@iamatiger said
E.g. 125 is "One hundred and twenty five", which is 5 words.
Isn't it "one hundred twenty five"?

I always learned that the "and" in numbers was superfluous

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@forkedknight
Superfluous, but most people say it like that

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@iamatiger said
A number definition is "efficient" if it has fewer words than the number does when said in English.
E.g. 125 is "One hundred and twenty five", which is 5 words. So "Five Cubed" would be an efficient way of defining it.

100 and below are only one or two words, but numbers above 100 are at least 4 words.

Can we find efficient definitions for 101 to 199?
You can quickly eliminate squares (eg 121 = eleven squared)
and all other powers (ie cubes, quartics, quintics, etc.)

You can eliminate members of sets
(eg 496 = third perfect, 231 = twenty-first triangular, 101= twenty-sixth prime)

Maybe a good school project?

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@wolfgang59

I’m not sure powers are that much help. Ok folks,we have a couple of ways of getting 101, but no 102 so far....

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@iamatiger said
@wolfgang59

I’m not sure powers are that much help. Ok folks,we have a couple of ways of getting 101, but no 102 so far....
Fifty one doubled.

Edit: this method, combined with "nth prime", ought to work for all of 101-199.

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@bigdoggproblem said
Fifty one doubled.

Edit: this method, combined with "nth prime", ought to work for all of 101-199.
So, 103 is the nth prime, 104 is “fifty two doubled”, or perhaps even more efficient “Thirteen Octupled”, 105 is “thirty five tripled” etc...

Seems pretty solid to me.

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@joe-shmo said
So, 103 is the nth prime, 104 is “fifty two doubled”, or perhaps even more efficient “Thirteen Octupled”, 105 is “thirty five tripled” etc...

Seems pretty solid to me.
Even a number like 133 can be called "nineteen septupled".

143 can be "eleven times thirteen".

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@iamatiger said
@wolfgang59

I’m not sure powers are that much help. Ok folks,we have a couple of ways of getting 101, but no 102 so far....
one oh two

seventeen sixes

Oops! Missed BigDogg's answer above.

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@bigdoggproblem said
Fifty one doubled.

Edit: this method, combined with "nth prime", ought to work for all of 101-199.
51 is "triple-seventeen"