Feral Fractions

“The uniquely unrepresentative ‘Egyptian’ fraction.” That’s what David Wells calls 2/3 = 0·666… in The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers (1986). Why unrepresentative”? Wells goes on to explain: “the Egyptians used only unit fractions, with this one exception. All other fractional quantities were expressed as sums of unit fractions.”

A unit fraction is 1 divided by a higher integer: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5 and so on. Modern mathematicians are interested in those sums of unit fractions that produce integers, like this:

1 = 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = egypt(2,3,6)
1 = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/6 + 1/12 = egypt(2,4,6,12)
1 = 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/10 + 1/15 = = egypt(2,3,10,15)
1 = egypt(2,4,10,12,15)
1 = egypt(3,4,6,10,12,15)
1 = egypt(2,3,9,18)
1 = egypt(2,4,9,12,18)
1 = egypt(3,4,6,9,12,18)
1 = egypt(2,6,9,10,15,18)
1 = egypt(3,4,9,10,12,15,18)
1 = egypt(2,4,5,20)
1 = egypt(3,4,5,6,20)
1 = egypt(2,5,6,12,20)
1 = egypt(3,4,5,10,15,20)
1 = egypt(2,5,10,12,15,20)
1 = egypt(3,5,6,10,12,15,20)
1 = egypt(3,4,5,9,18,20)
1 = egypt(2,5,9,12,18,20)
1 = egypt(3,5,6,9,12,18,20)
1 = egypt(4,5,6,9,10,15,18,20)

2 = egypt(2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,15,18,20,24)
2 = 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 + 1/6 + 1/8 + 1/9 + 1/10 + 1/15 + 1/18 + 1/20 + 1/24


Sums-to-integers like those are called Egyptian fractions, for short. I looked for some such sums that included 1/666:

1 = egypt(2,3,7,63,222,518,666)
1 = egypt(2,3,8,36,111,296,666)
1 = egypt(2,3,9,20,444,555,666)
1 = egypt(2,3,9,21,222,518,666)
1 = egypt(2,3,9,24,111,296,666)
1 = egypt(2,3,9,26,74,481,666)
1 = egypt(2,4,8,9,111,296,666)


And I looked for Egyptian fractions whose denominators summed to rep-digits like 111 and 666 (denominators are the bit below the stroke of 1/3 or 2/3, where the bit above is called the numerator):

1 = egypt(4,6,7,9,10,14,15,18,28)
111 = 4+6+7+9+10+14+15+18+28


1 = egypt(3,6,8,9,10,15,21,24,126)
222 = 3+6+8+9+10+15+21+24+126


1 = egypt(2,6,8,12,16,17,272)
333 = 2+6+8+12+16+17+272


1 = egypt(2,4,9,11,22,396)
444 = 2+4+9+11+22+396


1 = egypt(5,6,9,10,11,12,15,20,21,22,28,396)
555 = 5+6+9+10+11+12+15+20+21+22+28+396


1 = egypt(2,6,8,10,15,25,600)
666 = 2+6+8+10+15+25+600


1 = egypt(4,5,8,12,14,18,20,21,24,26,28,819)
999 = 4+5+8+12+14+18+20+21+24+26+28+819


Alas, Egyptian fractions like those are attractive but trivial. This isn’t trivial, though:

Prof Greg Martin of the University of British Columbia has found a remarkable Egyptian fraction for 1 with 454 denominators all less than 1000.

1 = egypt(97, 103, 109, 113, 127, 131, 137, 190, 192, 194, 195, 196, 198, 200, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 225, 228, 230, 231, 234, 235, 238, 240, 244, 245, 248, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 259, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 272, 273, 274, 275, 279, 280, 282, 284, 285, 286, 287, 290, 291, 294, 295, 296, 299, 300, 301, 303, 304, 306, 308, 309, 312, 315, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 327, 328, 329, 330, 332, 333, 335, 338, 339, 341, 342, 344, 345, 348, 351, 352, 354, 357, 360, 363, 364, 365, 366, 369, 370, 371, 372, 374, 376, 377, 378, 380, 385, 387, 390, 391, 392, 395, 396, 399, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 408, 410, 411, 412, 414, 415, 416, 418, 420, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 432, 434, 435, 437, 438, 440, 442, 445, 448, 450, 451, 452, 455, 456, 459, 460, 462, 464, 465, 468, 469, 470, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 480, 481, 483, 484, 485, 486, 488, 490, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 510, 511, 513, 515, 516, 517, 520, 522, 524, 525, 527, 528, 530, 531, 532, 533, 536, 539, 540, 546, 548, 549, 550, 551, 552, 553, 555, 558, 559, 560, 561, 564, 567, 568, 570, 572, 574, 575, 576, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 588, 589, 590, 594, 595, 598, 603, 605, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 616, 618, 620, 621, 623, 624, 627, 630, 635, 636, 637, 638, 640, 642, 644, 645, 646, 648, 649, 650, 651, 654, 657, 658, 660, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 670, 671, 672, 675, 676, 678, 679, 680, 682, 684, 685, 688, 689, 690, 693, 696, 700, 702, 703, 704, 705, 707, 708, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 720, 725, 726, 728, 730, 731, 735, 736, 740, 741, 742, 744, 748, 752, 754, 756, 759, 760, 762, 763, 765, 767, 768, 770, 774, 775, 776, 777, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 786, 790, 791, 792, 793, 798, 799, 800, 804, 805, 806, 808, 810, 812, 814, 816, 817, 819, 824, 825, 826, 828, 830, 832, 833, 836, 837, 840, 847, 848, 850, 851, 852, 854, 855, 856, 858, 860, 864, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 876, 880, 882, 884, 888, 890, 891, 893, 896, 897, 899, 900, 901, 903, 904, 909, 910, 912, 913, 915, 917, 918, 920, 923, 924, 925, 928, 930, 931, 935, 936, 938, 940, 944, 945, 946, 948, 949, 950, 952, 954, 957, 960, 962, 963, 966, 968, 969, 972, 975, 976, 979, 980, 981, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 992, 994, 996, 999) — "Egyptian Fractions" by Ron Knott at Surrey University


Luis’ Lip

“Decíamos ayer…” — Fray Luis de León (1527-1591)

Sus biógrafos cuentan que fray Luis acostumbraba, en sus años de docencia, resumir las lecciones explicadas en la clase anterior; y que, al volver a la Universidad a su nueva cátedra, retomó sus lecciones con la frase “Decíamos ayer…” (Dicebamus hesterna die) como si sus cuatro años de prisión no hubieran transcurrido. Pero, aunque la frase tiene sello luisiano, se supone que es una invención posterior de fray Nicolaus Crusenius. — Wikipedia


• “As we were saying yesterday…” — Fray Luis de León, in the lecture hall of the University of Salamanca, December 30, 1576, after he had returned from an imprisonment of nearly five years by the Spanish Inquisition. (From Anecdotes from History: Being a Collection of 1000 Anecdotes, Epigrams, and Episodes Illustrative of English and World History, Grant Uden, 1968)

Color-Coded ContFracs

Continued fractions are cool… Too cool for school. Or too cool for my school, at least. Because I never learnt about them there. Now that I have learnt about them, they’ve helped me wade a little further into the immeasurable Mare Mathematicum. Or Mare Matris Mathematicæ. I’m almost ankle-deep now, rather than just toe-deep. (I wish.)

But apart from aiding my understanding, continued fractions have always enhanced my entertainment. I can use them to find pretty but (probably) puny patterns like these:


[3,1,2] = contfrac(3/12) in base 9 = contfrac(3/11) in base 10
4,1,34/13 in b16 = 4/19
5,1,45/14 in b25 = 5/29
6,1,56/15 in b36 = 6/41
7,1,67/16 in b49 = 7/55
8,1,78/17 in b64 = 8/71
9,1,89/18 in b81 = 9/89
A,1,9A/19 in b100 = 10/109 → 10,1,9
B,1,AB/1A in b121 = 11/131 → 11,1,10
C,1,BC/1B in b144 = 12/155 → 12,1,11


Those patterns with square numbers carry on for ever, I assume. I also assume that the similar patterns below do too, though I’m not sure if every base contains an infinite number of them. Maybe some bases don’t contain any at all. I haven’t found any in base 10 so far:


[25,2] = contfrac(2/52) in base 9 = contfrac(2/47) in base 10 = [23,2]
42,1,34/213 in b8 = 4/139 → 34,1,3
4,1,2,3,341/233 in b8 = 33/155
24,1,3,1,224/1312 in b5 = 14/207 → 14,1,3,1,2
1,17,1,2,3117/123 in b14 = 217/227 → 1,21,1,2,3
320,1,23/2012 in b5 = 3/257 → 85,1,2
254,22/542 in b7 = 2/275 → 137,2
3A,33/A3 in b28 = 3/283 → 94,3
3,5,A,235/A2 in b34 = 107/342 → 3,5,10,2
12,1,5,312/153 in b17 = 19/377 → 19,1,5,3
12,1,5,312/153 in b17 = 19/377 → 19,1,5,3
3,1,4,1,4,1,5314/1415 in b8 = 204/781
2,1,36,3,2213/632 in b12 = 303/902 → 2,1,42,3,2
3,2,11,2,2,2321/1222 in b9 = 262/911 → 3,2,10,2,2,2
41,2,1,1,641/2116 in b8 = 33/1102 → 33,2,1,1,6
4H,44/H4 in b65 = 4/1109 → 277,4
249,22/492 in b17 = 2/1311 → 655,2
6,2,1,3,J62/13J in b35 = 212/1349 → 6,2,1,3,19
8,3,3,1,D83/31D in b22 = 179/1487 → 8,3,3,1,13
142,1,1,614/2116 in b9 = 13/1554 → 119,1,1,6
10,1,111,1,1,21011/11112 in b6 = 223/1556 → 6,1,43,1,1,2
204,1,1720/4117 in b8 = 16/2127 → 132,1,15
93,1,89/318 in b27 = 9/2222 → 246,1,8
1,3A,1,1,4,2,213A1/1422 in b12 = 2281/2330 → 1,46,1,1,4,2,2
4340,1,34/34013 in b5 = 4/2383 → 595,1,3
13,1,7,613/176 in b46 = 49/2444 → 49,1,7,6
C7,1,BC/71B in b21 = 12/3119 → 259,1,11
35,3,2,3,1,1,2353/23112 in b6 = 141/3284 → 23,3,2,3,1,1,2
1,2,2,1,O,F122/1OF in b50 = 2602/3715 → 1,2,2,1,24,15
2,1,1,5,55211/555 in b28 = 1597/4065 → 2,1,1,5,145
1P,2,H,21P/2H2 in b47 = 72/5219 → 72,2,17,2
50,14,1,1,1,5501/41115 in b6 = 181/5447 → 30,10,1,1,1,5
5450,1,45/45014 in b6 = 5/6274 → 1254,1,4
3103,1,23/10312 in b9 = 3/6815 → 2271,1,2
4B,1,2,2,C4B/122C in b19 = 87/7631 → 87,1,2,2,12
3G,D,2,33G/D23 in b26 = 94/8843 → 94,13,2,3
3,1,1,A,K,6311/AK6 in b29 = 2553/8996 → 3,1,1,10,20,6
1,2[70],1,3,912[70]/139 in b98 = 9870/9907 → 1,266,1,3,9
14,1,9,A14/19A in b97 = 101/10292 → 101,1,9,10
14,1,9,A14/19A in b97 = 101/10292 → 101,1,9,10
4133,1,14,241/331142 in b5 = 21/11422 → 543,1,9,2
1,E,4,1,M,71E4/1M7 in b100 = 11404/12207 → 1,14,4,1,22,7
LG,5,4L/G54 in b28 = 21/12688 → 604,5,4

Kore. Kounter-Kultural. Kommandments.

One thing I’ve noticed about in terms of the hardcore heretics and mentally magnipotent mega-mavericks who corely comprise the counter-cultural community… is that… some of them can get very upset… if you don’t think in exactly the same way as… they do and/or you criticize and/or… question anything they like, like…

With this in mind, I’ve drawn up some key counter-cultural commandments for anyone who wants to gain and/or retain popularity and/or influence among in terms of the hardcore heretics and mentally magnipotent mega-mavericks who corely comprise the counter-cultural community…

• Thou shalt NOT mock The Guardian and/or Guardian-adjacent media outlets…
• Thou shalt NOT exhibit sniffy superiority towards vis à vis folk with EngLit and/or Film Studies and/or EngLit-and/or-Film-Studies-adjacent degrees…
• Thou shalt NOT pyogenically problematize use of italics or trailing dots
• Thou shalt NOT teratically toxicize “in terms of”, “prior to”, “core”, “key” or “toxicity”…
• Thou shalt NOT atrabiliously aspersicize the 2SLGBTQ+ Community
• Thou shalt NOT even hint that American English and/or usage [CENSORED]
• Thou shalt NOT say Cormac was Crap
• Thou shalt NOT refer to reference Mike Moorcock as “Britain’s biggest bearded Burroughsian lit-twat”…

But above all

• Thou shalt NOT suggest that crisps are a key component of core counter-culturalicity (wow)…

So. Now. You. Know.

[Parallel-Posted at Papyrocentric Performativity]

Matching Fractions

0.1666… = 1/6
0.0273972… = 2/73
0.0379746… = 3/79
0.0016181229… = 1/618
0.0027322404… = 2/732 → 1/366
0.0058548009… = 5/854
0.01393354769… = 13/933
0.07598784194… = 75/987 → 25/329
0.08998988877… = 89/989
0.141993957703… = 141/993 → 47/331
0.0005854115443… = 5/8541
0.00129282482223… = 12/9282 → 2/1547
0.00349722279366… = 34/9722 → 17/4861
0.013599274705349… = 135/9927 → 15/1103
0.0000273205382146… = 2/73205


0.0465103… = 4/65 in base 8 = 4/53 in base 10
0.13735223… = 13/73 in b8 = 11/59 in b10
0.0036256353… = 3/625 → 1/207 in b8 = 3/405 → 1/135 in b10
0.01172160236… = 11/721 → 3/233 in b8 = 9/465 → 3/155 in b10
0.01272533117… = 12/725 in b8 = 10/469 in b10
0.03175523464… = 31/755 in b8 = 25/493 in b10
0.06776766655… = 67/767 in b8 = 55/503 in b10
0.251775771755… = 251/775 in b8 = 169/509 in b10
0.0003625152504… = 3/6251 in b8 = 3/3241 in b10
0.00137303402723… = 13/7303 in b8 = 11/3779 in b10
0.00267525714052… = 26/7525 in b8 = 22/3925 in b10
0.035777577356673… = 357/7757 in b8 = 239/4079 in b10


0.3763… = 3/7 in b9 = 3/7 in b10
0.0155187… = 1/55 in b9 = 1/50 in b10
0.0371482… = 3/71 in b9 = 3/64 in b10
0.0474627… = 4/74 in b9 = 4/67 in b10
0.43878684… = 43/87 in b9 = 39/79 in b10
0.07887877766… = 78/878 in b9 = 71/719 in b10
0.01708848667… = 17/0884 → 4/221 in b9 = 16/724 → 4/181 in b10
0.170884866767… = 170/884 → 40/221 in b9 = 144/724 → 36/181 in b10


0.2828… = 2/8 → 1/4 in b11 = 2/8 → 1/4 in b10
0.4986… = 4/9 in b11 = 4/9 in b10
0.54A9A8A6… = 54/A9 in b11 = 59/119 in b10
0.0010A17039… = 1/A17 in b11 = 1/1228 in b10
0.010A170392A… = 10/A17 in b11 = 11/1228 in b10
0.01AA5854872… = 1A/A58 in b11 = 21/1273 in b10
0.027A716A416… = 27/A71 in b11 = 29/1288 in b10
0.032A78032A7… = 32/A78 → 1/34 in b11 = 35/1295 → 1/37 in b10
0.0190AA5A829… = 19/0AA5 → 4/221 in b11 = 20/1325 → 4/265 in b10
0.190AA5A829… = 190/AA5 → 40/221 in b11 = 220/1325 → 44/265 in b10


0.23B7A334… = 23/B7 in b12 = 27/139 in b10
0.075BA597224… = 75/BA5 in b12 = 89/1709 in b10
0.0ABBABAAA99… = AB/BAB in b12 = 131/1715 in b10
0.185BB5B859B4… = 185/BB5 in b12 = 245/1721 in b10

Phascinating Phibonacci Phact Phor Phiday

Phiday falls on the 11th, 12th and 23rd of each month, because 11, 12 and 23 represent entries in the famous Fibonacci sequence:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368, 75025, 121393, 196418, 317811, 514229, 832040, 1346269, 2178309, 3524578, 5702887, 9227465, 14930352, 24157817, 39088169, 63245986, 102334155, 165580141, 267914296, 433494437, 701408733, 1134903170, 1836311903, 2971215073, 4807526976, 7778742049, 12586269025, 20365011074, 32951280099, 53316291173, 86267571272, 139583862445, 225851433717, 365435296162, 591286729879, 956722026041, 1548008755920, 2504730781961, 4052739537881, 6557470319842, 10610209857723, 17167680177565, 27777890035288, 44945570212853, 72723460248141, 117669030460994, 190392490709135, 308061521170129, 498454011879264, 806515533049393, 1304969544928657, …

Successive entries in the Fibonacci sequence provide better and better approximations to the golden ratio or φ = 1.61803398874989484820458683…

2 = 2/1
1.5 = 3/2
1.6 = 5/3
1.6 = 8/5
1.625 = 13/8
1.6153846… = 21/13
1.619047619… = 34/21
1.6176470588235294117647… = 55/34
1.618… = 89/55
1.617977528… = 144/89
1.61805… = 233/144
1.618025751… = 377/233
1.618037135… = 610/377
1.618032786… = 987/610
1.618034447… = 1597/987
1.618033813… = 2584/1597
1.618034055… = 4181/2584
1.618033963… = 6765/4181
1.618033998… = 10946/6765
1.618033985… = 17711/10946

Today is 23rd June, so here’s a Fascinating Fibonacci Fact for Phiday. First, list the rational fractions < 1 in simplified form and mark the Fibonacci fractions:

1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 1/6, 5/6, 1/7, 2/7, 3/7, 4/7, 5/7, 6/7, 1/8, 3/8, 5/8, 7/8, 1/9, 2/9, 4/9, 5/9, 7/9, 8/9, 1/10, 3/10, 7/10, 9/10, 1/11, 2/11, 3/11, 4/11, 5/11, 6/11, 7/11, 8/11, 9/11, 10/11, 1/12, 5/12, 7/12, 11/12, 1/13, 2/13, 3/13, 4/13, 5/13, 6/13, 7/13, 8/13, 9/13, 10/13, 11/13, 12/13, 1/14, 3/14, 5/14, 9/14, 11/14, 13/14, 1/15, 2/15, 4/15, 7/15, 8/15, 11/15, 13/15, 14/15, 1/16, 3/16, 5/16, 7/16, 9/16, 11/16, 13/16, 15/16, 1/17, 2/17, 3/17, 4/17, 5/17, 6/17, 7/17, 8/17, 9/17, 10/17, 11/17, 12/17, 13/17, 14/17, 15/17, 16/17, 1/18, 5/18, 7/18, 11/18, 13/18, 17/18, 1/19, 2/19, 3/19, 4/19, 5/19, 6/19, 7/19, 8/19, 9/19, 10/19, 11/19, 12/19, 13/19, 14/19, 15/19, 16/19, 17/19, 18/19, 1/20, 3/20, 7/20, 9/20, 11/20, 13/20, 17/20, 19/20, 1/21, 2/21, 4/21, 5/21, 8/21, 10/21, 11/21, 13/21, 16/21, 17/21, 19/21, 20/21, 1/22, 3/22, 5/22, 7/22, 9/22, 13/22, 15/22, 17/22, 19/22, 21/22, 1/23, 2/23, 3/23, 4/23, 5/23, 6/23, 7/23, 8/23, 9/23, 10/23, 11/23, 12/23, 13/23, 14/23, 15/23, 16/23, 17/23, 18/23, 19/23, 20/23, 21/23, 22/23…

Next, record the positions in the fraction list of the FibFracs, i.e. pos(fibonacci(i)/fibonacci(i+1)) = pos(fibfrac(i)):

1, 3, 8, 20, 53, 135, 353, 924, 2422, 6311, 16529, 43229, 113066, 296173, 775286, 2029661, 5313844, 13911391, 36419909, 95348490, 249624578, 653521015, 1710943906, 4479312193, 11726939926, 30701521655, 80377560978, 210431191133, 550915866198, 1442316294349, 3776032465954, 9885782372588, 25881314454327, 67758160822605, 177393168080718, 464421339906882, 1215870841639593, …

What do you get when you divide pos(fibfrac(i+1)) by pos(fibfrac(i))?

pos(1/2) = 1
pos(2/3) = 3 (3/1 = 3)
pos(3/5) = 8 (8/3 = 2.6…)
pos(5/8) = 20 (20/8 = 2.5)
pos(8/13) = 53 (53/20 = 2.65)
pos(13/21) = 135 (2.5471698113207…)
pos(21/34) = 353 (2.6148…)
pos(34/55) = 924 (2.617563739376770538243626062…)
pos(55/89) = 2422 (2.621…)
pos(89/144) = 6311 (2.605697770437654830718414533…)
pos(144/233) = 16529 (2.619077800665504674378070037…)
pos(233/377) = 43229 (2.615342730957710690301893642…)
pos(377/610) = 113066 (2.615512734506928219482291980…)
pos(610/987) = 296173 (2.619470044045071020465922559…)
pos(987/1597) = 775286 (2.617679531895209894217231145…)
pos(1597/2584) = 2029661 (2.617951310871084993150914630…)
pos(2584/4181) = 5313844 (2.618094351716863062353762525…)
pos(4181/6765) = 13911391 (2.617952465296309037299551888…)
pos(6765/10946) = 36419909 (2.617991903182075753603647543…)
pos(10946/17711) = 95348490 (2.618032076906068051954770123…)
pos(17711/28657) = 249624578 (2.618023400265699016313735016…)
pos(28657/46368) = 653521015 (2.618015502463863954934758067…)
pos(46368/75025) = 1710943906 (2.618039614227248683043497844…)
pos(75025/121393) = 4479312193 (2.618035680358535377956453004…)
pos(121393/196418) = 11726939926 (2.618022459860278821159630657…)
pos(196418/317811) = 30701521655 (2.618033506501651708043379296…)
pos(317811/514229) = 80377560978 (2.618031831816708695313688353…)
pos(514229/832040) = 210431191133 (2.618034045479393794998913484…)
pos(832040/1346269) = 550915866198 (2.618033302153394031845776103…)
pos(1346269/2178309) = 1442316294349 (2.618033683260502304564996035…)
pos(2178309/3524578) = 3776032465954 (2.618033562227999267671331082…)
pos(3524578/5702887) = 9885782372588 (2.618034262608066669117450079…)
pos(5702887/9227465) = 25881314454327 (2.618034008728793003503058474…)
pos(9227465/14930352) = 67758160822605 (2.618033985181798482654668954…)
pos(14930352/24157817) = 177393168080718 (2.618033989221521810752093192…)
pos(24157817/39088169) = 464421339906882 (2.618033969017113072183685603…)
pos(39088169/63245986) = 1215870841639593 (2.618033964338027806153843993…)
[…]

In other words, pos(fibfrac(i+1)) / pos(fibfrac(i)) → φ^2 = 2.61803398874989484820458683… = φ + 1


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