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arXiv:1209.2348math.HO

Sagan numbers

J. Ricardo G. Mendonça

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Abstract

We define a new class of numbers based on the first occurrence of certain patterns of zeros and ones in the expansion of irracional numbers in a given basis and call them Sagan numbers, since they were first mentioned, in a special case, by the North-american astronomer Carl E. Sagan in his science-fiction novel "Contact." Sagan numbers hold connections with a wealth of mathematical ideas. We describe some properties of the newly defined numbers and indicate directions for further amusement.

arXiv comments
LaTeX2e, 17 pages, 2 figures, 26 references. English version of an article originally published in Portuguese. Keywords: Recreational mathematics, science fiction, normal numbers, BBP-type formulae
Journal reference
Revista Matematica Universitaria 47, 55-65 (2009)
DOI
Subjects
math.HOHistory and Overview

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  1. 100% Compression Using Pi 1 comment

    • That reminds me of the ending of the novel/movie "Contact" by Carl Sagan. When calculating pi in base 11, there was an implausibly long run of 0's and 1's, which made a pretty picture when you plotted it in two dimensions. So if you entered that picture as your file, the file…

      cschmidtView on HNParent context

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