mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
It’s time for Weekend Genius Challenge #28, and we’re doing things by the numbers. All you have to do is correctly complete ALL the rest of the numbers in this series. Sorry, no hints as to how many numbers there are in total; you’ll have to figure that out for yourself. And here it is:
Complete ALL the numbers in the remainder of this sequence:
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5…
Rules: ONE GUESS PER PLAYER, please. Submit your answer by commenting to this post. PLEASE remember that comments are held in queue until they are released, so they won’t appear right away, but they will remain in the order they were originally submitted.
Good luck!
4, 5,
In roman numerals the original numbers are
V, VI, VI, III, V
VVIVIIIIV
so to make it a mirror you ad IV, V
VVIVIIIIVIVV
posted by Kevo on 4-19-2008 at 10:30 am
Well then wouldn’t it be 4,4,5 because there are three 6s.
posted by Hareesh on 4-19-2008 at 10:36 am
Kevo,
You forgot a 6 so to make it a mirror you’d have to add an additional 4.
5,6,6,6,3,5,4,4,5
posted by Ed on 4-19-2008 at 10:38 am
I think Kevo is right, but he made one mistake.
It’s 5 6 6 6 3 5, and he left out one 6.
So in Roman numerals, it’s
V, VI, VI, VI, III, V
and to make a mirror image you need
VVIVIVIIIIVIVIVV
So the full sequence is: 5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 5
And the answer is: 4, 4, 5
posted by Stephanie on 4-19-2008 at 10:41 am
VVIVIVIIIIVIVIVV
sequence is: 5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 5
the answer is: 4, 4, 5
Its a mirror image
posted by Taelec on 4-19-2008 at 11:02 am
…but it’s not a perfect mirror image, so if the Roman numerals needed were IVIVV, the answer could also be:
1, 5, 1, 5, 5 (I, V, I, V, V)
or
1, 6, 5, 5 (I, VI, V, V)
or
4, 1, 5, 5 (IV, I, V, V)
So I have a feeling that’s probably not it. ;)
posted by Sandy on 4-19-2008 at 12:00 pm
7, 7, 2, 5, 9, 6, 6, 1, 1, 2, 5, 3, 6, 8, 8, 9, 7, 5, 4, 8, 5, 2, 2, 3, 9, 6, 8, 9
The rest of Sloane’s A120220!
posted by Scott on 4-19-2008 at 12:09 pm
I can see multiple ways to solve this one. I like the mirror-image Roman numeral ones, which have already been described above.
But how ’bout this one?
“5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5…” 6, 6, 6, 6, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5
posted by Mindy on 4-19-2008 at 5:14 pm
The remainder of the numbers in the sequence are:
5, 7, 11, 9, 8, 6
posted by buddz on 4-19-2008 at 5:20 pm
6, 6, 2, 5, 6, 1, 5, 0
posted by Mike on 4-19-2008 at 7:00 pm
“5,6,6,6,3,5…” 5,1,4
posted by whorehey on 4-19-2008 at 7:29 pm
Original: 5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5
Additional: 6, 6, 2, 5, 6, 1 (5)
posted by Katie D. on 4-19-2008 at 8:11 pm
5 6 6 6 3 5 5 7 11 9 8 6
based on the number of letters in each successive sign of the Zodiac
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 4-19-2008 at 8:20 pm
5 6 6 6 3 5 7
Happy
Grumpy
Sleepy
Sneezy
Doc
Dopey
Bashful
posted by loomis on 4-19-2008 at 10:05 pm
5,6,6,6,3,5,5,2,3,1,0
posted by eleguaskid on 4-20-2008 at 12:47 am
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 2, 5, 2, 1, 5
posted by Schik on 4-20-2008 at 11:00 am
I love the seven dwarf answer. :))
posted by Eileen on 4-20-2008 at 2:33 pm
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 4, 2, 5, 2, 2, 2, 1, 5
posted by John on 4-20-2008 at 5:54 pm
5,6,6,6,3,5,4,4,4,2,5,2,2,2,1
posted by Rob on 4-20-2008 at 8:12 pm
7, 7, 2, 5, 8, 1, 5
posted by Step on 4-20-2008 at 9:56 pm
Have no bloody clue - I’m a Lib Arts gal, not math-inclined in the slightest.
Having freely admitted thus, I will just say the numbers continue in same way as the first sequence :
6,6,6,3,5…
posted by Amy on 4-20-2008 at 10:19 pm
Its 5,6,6,6,3,5,5,5,6
posted by chandan on 4-20-2008 at 11:39 pm
I might be way off base on this one, but here is what a think…
5,6,6,6,3 (3X6=18-3=15 then 5×3=15)
the next set of numbers would be
5,8,8,8,4 (3×8=24-4=20 then 5×4=20)
the next set of numbers would be
5,10,10,10,5 (3×10=30-5=25 then 5×5=25)
the next set of numbers would be
5,12,12,12,6 (3×12=36-6=30 then 5×6=30)
the next set of numbers would be
5,14,14,14,7 (3×14=42-7=35 then 5×7=35)
I guess you could continue
posted by mr. pish on 4-20-2008 at 11:54 pm
Each number represents the miles to a Starbucks from my house depending upon the route taken. Given that new coffehouses are continually opening, the sequence is an infinite series. Next in the series is 4,6,8,7,7,11,15,15,15,17 etc.
posted by drHoward on 4-21-2008 at 1:28 am
I think a natural progression
5,6,6,6,3,5,6,6,2,5,6,1,5,0
posted by kmacer on 4-21-2008 at 7:40 am
I’ve used a few web sources to help ‘figure’ this out, here’s what I come up with :
5- symbolizes human life and—in the Platonic and Pythagorean traditions- marriage, as the sum of the female 2 and the male 3.
666- well known in numerology as the ‘number of the beast’ (perhaps, in my estimation that could be the child born of #5 above)
3- very magical and spiritual… with much occuring in threes from fairy tales to celebrity deaths. One example, which can be tied to the #666 above is that three black animals were often sacrificed when attempting to conjure up demons. And since ‘3′ is male, maybe the NEXT few numbers are :
4 1 13 9 5 14
D A M I E N
Oh the heck with it! Fuggedboudit! Told you I wasn’t mathematically (now not even numerologically)inclined. I also liked the 7 Dwarves idea better myself! ;)
posted by Amy on 4-21-2008 at 9:50 am
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5,
5, 7, 11, 9, 8, 6
Number of letters in the each sign of the Zodiac!
posted by Sheila on 4-21-2008 at 10:44 am
Rats!
I just noticed that “PartiallyDeflected beat me to the answer!!
posted by Sheila on 4-21-2008 at 10:47 am
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 6, 6, 2, 5, 6, 1
posted by Russell on 4-21-2008 at 11:28 am
5,1,5,5,2,5,6,6,6,3,5,7,7,7,7,4,5,8,8,8,8,8,5
posted by jaime on 4-21-2008 at 12:37 pm
I love the seven dwarves answer…
posted by Ash on 4-21-2008 at 4:22 pm
455524
344413
233302
122201
011100
000000
posted by michael on 4-21-2008 at 4:42 pm
These numbers do, of course, stand for the roman numerals in a really bad chord progression.
So since we have V vi vi vi iii V, we shouldn’t put a I at the end… that’ll make too much sense. Let’s try IV and a vii diminished instead.
So the answers are: 4, 7.
posted by Stephanie on 4-21-2008 at 10:07 pm
POTATO
posted by Chad on 4-22-2008 at 2:07 am
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5…
The final result would be:
5, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, 1
following the serie 5, 3, 1
3×6
1×5
posted by rufovi on 4-30-2008 at 1:42 am