## Greatest Number Ever (73)

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Infinity Flat
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

gh wrote:
I love you just for this.
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TheGenius
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Infinity Flat wrote:
gh wrote:
I love you just for this.
It's a block. What's so great about it?
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Littleboy
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

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salcedam
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

TheGenius wrote:
Infinity Flat wrote:
gh wrote:
I love you just for this.
It's a block. What's so great about it?
Because that block is another way of saying "Q.E.D." after a proof. And it's a block of pure awesomeness.
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Epidemiologist
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

gh wrote:If we assume that 73 is the greatest number ever, then it follows that there exists no number n such that $n > 73$. Now, without loss of generality, consider the number 85.

$85 > 73$ is evidently true, and so there is at least one number which is greater than 73. Thus our assumption is incorrect, and 73 is not the greatest number ever.∎

A well-known number larger than 73 is Graham's number

Finally, to settle the dispute which is the topic of this thread, 17 is the most significant number of all time (I mean that in a non-technical way).

Notice how its Wikipedia page stresses (non-technical sense) its importance (non-technical again) to mathematics? That is no random (pun not intended) coincidence (...again)!

This is in fact because a large chunk of today's mathematicians were raised at the badass hippie society known as HCSSiM. This cadre of awsmness represents the future faces of mathematics as well as the coolest people you'll meet in the American Northeast. If there is any authority at all on what the coolest number is, it's them and their yellow friggin' pig.
I didn't get into the camp... In fact I could only answer two questions, and the ones on Fibonacci number (Interesting Test)... But I applied as an 8-9 applicant, so maybe next year.

Mathcounts is like the easiest competition ever, no offense, the concepts are things we learned in elementary school, to the point that it's almost boring. I hit Nationals 6-8 grade, so calm down.

Just because 85 is farther from 0 on a number line doesn't make it greater, because in that case -86 and 86 would be greater than 85. In addition, if you were to use a number line as an example, the greatest number would be infinity, another unquantifiable number.
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Kokonilly
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Epidemiologist wrote:Mathcounts is like the easiest competition ever, no offense, the concepts are things we learned in elementary school, to the point that it's almost boring. I hit Nationals 6-8 grade, so calm down.
Hi, sorry, just popping in to say:
Don't call a competition the 'easiest ever' when people actually work at it and don't achieve desired results even with work. Florida's not a terribly competitive state, no offense, so please, stop bragging.

winneratlife
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Epidemiologist wrote:Mathcounts is like the easiest competition ever, no offense, the concepts are things we learned in elementary school, to the point that it's almost boring. I hit Nationals 6-8 grade, so calm down.
a) I didn't say a word about Mathcounts, LB did.
b) Florida rankings: '09 18th, '10 20th, '11 10th. lolwut okay then, I bet either of us could've made it in third grade in Guam, but that doesn't give bragging rights.
c) If it's that boring, why didn't you make CD at nats...say...ever?
Epidemiologist wrote:the greatest number would be infinity
Infinity is not a number...

Oh, and gh was having fun. You take life too seriously.

http://www.hcssim.org/math/sample-it-questions/
^And if these are what you're talking about, they're not so bad, are they? D:

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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Epidemiologist wrote:Mathcounts is like the easiest competition ever, no offense, the concepts are things we learned in elementary school, to the point that it's almost boring. I hit Nationals 6-8 grade, so calm down.
Hi, I did MC for three years and never got to Nationals.

It can't possibly be because there are smarter people in the state of PA who work harder than I do at MC; it must be because I never learned elementary school math, by which I mean semi-obscure geometric formulas, multiple variable equations, and speed calculating against people who can solve high-school level math word problems before they're finished being read.

I would rant further, but I don't have the motivation or the incentive to.
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Epidemiologist wrote: the greatest number would be infinity
To reiterate winner's point, INFINITY IS A JOURNEY NOT A NUMBER~my favorite math teacher.
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fmtiger124
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### Re: Greatest Number Ever (73)

Epidemiologist wrote:
gh wrote:If we assume that 73 is the greatest number ever, then it follows that there exists no number n such that $n > 73$. Now, without loss of generality, consider the number 85.

$85 > 73$ is evidently true, and so there is at least one number which is greater than 73. Thus our assumption is incorrect, and 73 is not the greatest number ever.∎
Just because 85 is farther from 0 on a number line doesn't make it greater, because in that case -86 and 86 would be greater than 85. In addition, if you were to use a number line as an example, the greatest number would be infinity, another unquantifiable number.
Did you seriously just take him seriously?

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