Ways in which I am a dork, #823

[phoenix64]

For Happyfest II at bringthehappy there were 441 prompts. 441 is the square of one lucky prime times the square of another lucky prime. And in this case "lucky prime" not only refers to the specific mathematical term - they both happen to be numbers that are often considered to be lucky.

I have GOT to go back to school. Because I am NOT THIS SMART, I'm just BORED.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

nothing wrong with being bored. What are the lucky primes?

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

3 and 7. 3 x 3 x 7 x 7 = 441. Which actually, come to think of it, is also 21 x 21, and if you gamble that's a lucky number too, just not a lucky prime!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Interesting. What makes 3 and 7 lucky?

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

My parents always told me it was because of a three-in-one god and that 7 was "God's number" - probably because it came up so much in the Bible, though on that reasoning I don't see why 12 wouldn't be lucky. That was also why 6 was supposed to be unlucky, because it was associated with the devil. So I suppose it just depends on people's personal idea of why a number is lucky!

In Chinese, numbers are lucky or unlucky based on the way they're pronounced and what other words that syllable sounds like. So four ("si") is similar to death ("si") and you should never give someone four of something as a wedding present!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

In Hebrew numbers are written out using letters (Aleph=A=1) so numbers sometimes spell out words. That's why 18 is so special because 18= chai= life. for years and years and years it was the defacto amount to give as a present for a bar/bat mitvah or wedding (now its usually 36 which is considered 'double chai, even though that's bogus)

so 3= god, the son, and the holy spirit and 7 = days of week and whatnot? I can see that

sooo... death isn't a good present. I'll have to remember that

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I had heard there was a lot going on with numerology and Hebrew, but I didn't know anything specific. That's neat!

death isn't a good present. I'll have to remember that

Hee. Just if it's a Chinese family, I think. If we couldn't give 4 place settings as wedding gifts to most couples around here, we'd be quite at a loss!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

the weird thing is not all letters are used as numbers. You can get quite mystical and whatnot with it.

Go with service for 5. be a rebel

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

I knew a little about how that worked with Hebrew and numbers, but I actually probably learned the most watching the movie Pi. :D

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

Don't even ask me to get into the mathematical term, I swear it's partly arbitrary. But lots of people over the years have considered 3 and or 7 to be lucky. I think it's pretty much because people want to have lucky numbers, but if you ask them for a reason they'll usually point to Biblical examples. If they're Westerners. Eastern cultures are more likely to point to the similarity between the sound of a number and the sound of a particular word.

OK, I like Rusty's answer better. She said the same thing, but I sound like an "I'm above all this" ass.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

you don't sound like that at all. It most likely is arbitary

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

Thank you. My problem is that I know I come across badly like that at times because people have explained it to me, but I can't always see it very well. So I overcompensate.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

internet is harder because you can't see mannerisms or tone or facial expressions so sometimes things might come across in a way unintended. I over compensate too a lot due to that I think