Efficient Definitions

iamatiger

Posers and Puzzles

11 Mar 19

iamatiger

Joined: 26 Apr 03
Moves: 26771

11 Mar 19

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?

Shallow Blue

Joined: 18 Jan 07
Moves: 12477

11 Mar 19

@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.

forkedknight

Defend the Universe

127.0.0.1

Joined: 18 Dec 03
Moves: 16687

11 Mar 19

@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

iamatiger

Joined: 26 Apr 03
Moves: 26771

12 Mar 19

@forkedknight
Superfluous, but most people say it like that

wolfgang59

Quiz Master

RHP Arms

Joined: 09 Jun 07
Moves: 48794

12 Mar 19

@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?

iamatiger

Joined: 26 Apr 03
Moves: 26771

13 Mar 19

@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....

BigDogg

Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

Joined: 26 Nov 04
Moves: 155080

13 Mar 19

2 edits

@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.

~~Removed~~

Joined: 10 Dec 06
Moves: 8528

14 Mar 19

2 edits

@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.

BigDogg

Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

Joined: 26 Nov 04
Moves: 155080

14 Mar 19

1 edit

@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".