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  1. Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
  2. Path: sparky!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!pacbell.com!decwrl!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!utcsri!utmath!joel
  3. From: joel@math.toronto.edu (Joel Chan)
  4. Subject: Re: Irrational numbers
  5. Message-ID: <1993Jan26.234650.17714@math.toronto.edu>
  6. Organization: Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
  7. References: <19723.2b6495ca@ecs.umass.edu>
  8. Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 23:46:50 GMT
  9. Lines: 24
  10.  
  11. In article <19723.2b6495ca@ecs.umass.edu> padmanab@ecs.umass.edu writes:
  12. >Here is an interesting puzzle concerning 
  13. >irrational numbers: 
  14. >
  15. >Can you find two IRRATIONAL NUMBERS P and Q such that 
  16. >
  17. >                    Q 
  18. >                   P  =  rational? 
  19. >
  20. >HAVE FUN!
  21.  
  22. Let P and Q both be equal to sqrt(2).
  23.  
  24. Is P^Q rational?  If it is, we're done.
  25.  
  26. If it isn't then take (P^Q)^R, where R = sqrt(2).
  27.  
  28.  
  29. Joel
  30. -- 
  31. Joel Chan, Department of Mathematics           joel@math.toronto.edu
  32. Toronto Blue Jays: 1992 World Series Champions
  33. "History: Those who ignore it are condemned to repeat it.  Math, too."
  34.                     -From the comic strip "Betty"
  35.