Day 25 – Four weird traits you have

Day 25 – Four weird traits you have

1 – I like to eat my M&M’s scientifically by color. I have a formula for deciding which one to eat next that is a product of how many of that color I had originally and how many I had left. The formula is L*L/O, i.e. the number left squared divided by the number I had originally. Let me illustrate. Assume I started with 3 red, 4 green, and 5 yellow (I’ll limit this example to just 3 colors but it expands to any numbers). Then at each stage I decide as follows:

RRR=3*3/3=3, GGGG=4*4/4=4, YYYYY=5*5/5=5, so I eat a yellow first

RRR=3*3/3=3, GGGG=4*4/4=4, YYYY=4*4/5=3.2, so I eat a green next

RRR=3*3/3=3, GGG=3*3/4=2.25, YYYY=4*4/5=3.2, so I eat a yellow

RRR=3*3/3=3, GGG=3*3/4=2.25, YYY=3*3/5=1.8, so I eat a red

RR=2*2/3=1.33, GGG=3*3/4=2.25, YYY=3*3/5=1.8, so I eat a green

RR=2*2/3=1.33, GG=2*2/4=1, YYY=3*3/5=1.8, so I eat a yellow

RR=2*2/3=1.33, GG=2*2/4=1, YY=2*2/5=.8, so I eat a red

R=1*1/3=.33, GG=2*2/4=1, YY=2*2/5=.8, so I eat a green

R=1*1/3=.33, G=1*1/4=.25, YY=2*2/5=.8, so I eat a yellow

R=1*1/3=.33, G=1*1/4=.25, Y=1*1/5=.2, so I eat my last red

G=1*1/4=.25, Y=1*1/5=.2, so I eat my last green

Y=1*1/5=.2, so I eat my last yellow

Total sequence = Y G Y R G Y R G Y R G Y

The end result is that I eat the ones I have the most of earlier but at the end you have the one you had the most of left so you eat that last as well. You also tend to have one of each left at the end unless the original counts are quite skewed. Yes, it sounds complicated, but it’s a way to keep my mind occupied and make the M&Ms last longer as well as it prevents Alzheimer’s from occurring.

2 – I have a geographic mind and tend to memorize places by a mental map. I have stated on many occasions that if you can take me some place for the first time, then I can take you there the next time by an entirely different route.

3 – I like to factor numbers. If I see an interesting number on a license plate or some other similar item, then I try to mentally break the number down into its factors. This is sometimes quite challenging to do, especially without being able to write anything down and while still paying attention to my driving.

4 – Did you know that the “random” lucky numbers on the little slip inside your “Chinese” fortune cookie are not really random? They are chosen so that you can perform mathematical operations on them (using each number no more than once) and come up with any number between 1 and 100? I’m 67, so if two of the numbers were 56 and 11, that’s pretty obvious. But what if four of the numbers were 45, 26, 24, and 11. Then you could construct a formula of 45+(11*(26-24)) = 45+(11*2) = 45+22 = 67. Sometimes you may actually need all six of the numbers given, but rest assured, your age can be found. Whenever my wife and I go to a Chinese restaurant and are given a fortune cookie, then I won’t discard the little slips of paper until I have constructed the formula for both my and her ages.