numbers the anaesthetist

Today is the 18th of January.

Eighteen is a curious number, being equal to the sum of the digits of its cube, 5832. Furthermore, its cube and its fourth power, 104,976, between them use all the digits from 0 to 9 once each.

Eighteen is also:

The number of tons of smoked salmon eaten at Wimbledon in 1990;

The number of people in the UK for each personal computer purchased in 1994;

The number of million tons of crude steel produced annually in the UK;

The number of pairs of ribs of a horse;

The holes on a golf course;

The age at which you can vote, serve on a jury, buy a house, have a credit card, have an overdraft, make a will, bet, drink, see rude films and marry without parental consent.

Competition

More "26 L of the A" (Letters of the Alphabet) puzzles. Three Chambers Dictionary prizes will be awarded for correct disentanglings of the following. Entries (by 30 Jan) to: Pastimes, The Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL.

1 E on the C in H O

3 C in T L (R A G)

5 S in a M T M (T F W)

7 P of W

9 D W

4 January competition:

Answers: 3 Wickets in a Hat Trick; 3 Bronte Sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) 3 Score Years and Ten; 3 Legs on a Tripod; 3 Into Two Won't Go.

Winners: Peter Charlton, Miss DKS Smith, Corinne Squire