3 ms·

But why is it called a Vampire Number in the first place?

• parsimo2010 2y ago
  Because the digits of the multiplicands make up the digits of the vampire number- they look like any other number but have a secret, kind of like how vampires look like humans but have a secret. Here’s the text of the original post from the 1990’s describing them: https://groups.google.com/g/sci.math/c/eCgYeC3aUbc/m/2haqpIEie_EJ https://groups.google.com/g/sci.math/c/eCgYeC3aUbc/m/2haqpIE... They aren’t particularly useful, but they are cool.
  • dustfinger 2y ago
    Thank you so much for sharing the link. I really enjoy reading Clifford Pickover's books. As a young teen, I was inspired by Wonders of Numbers and Surfing Through Hyperspace. I am fond of the following explanations for the choice in naming [1]. However, your explanation came directly from the horses mouth ;-) 1. The name “vampire” evokes the image of a creature that bites and multiplies. Similarly, vampire numbers “bite” a larger number into two smaller numbers (fangs) that, when multiplied together, recreate the original number. 2. Clifford A. Pickover, who introduced the term in his book “Keys to Infinity,” often uses imaginative and evocative language to engage readers in mathematical concepts. The term “vampire numbers” reflects his creative approach to making mathematics more accessible and intriguing to a wide audience. [1]: https://medium.com/@bhaskaravsupraja/ever-heard-of-vampire-numbers-ac45830315a1#5b33 https://medium.com/@bhaskaravsupraja/ever-heard-of-vampire-n...
  • natdempk 2y ago
    Cool, thanks!