numbers the anaesthetist
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Today is the thirteenth of July.
Thirteen is a number widely considered unlucky. According to one estimate, triskaidekaphobia - fear of the number 13 - costs America more than $1bn each year in absenteeism and cancellations.
In Christian tradition, the bad luck of 13 is linked to the number present at the Last Supper, though that superstition only dates back to the Middle Ages, and many earlier civilizations, notably Babylonian and Old Norse, had registered a dislike for the number 13 centuries earlier.
Mathematically, oddly enough, 13 is one of the "lucky" numbers, defined as follows:
Write down all the integers: 1 2 3 4 5... and cross out every second one, leaving 1 3 5 7...
The smallest remaining number apart from 1 is 3, so cross out every third number. That leaves 1 3 7 9 13... Now the smallest apart from 1 and 3 is 7, so delete every seventh.
Repeating this process, we arrive at the "lucky" numbers:
1 3 7 9 13 15 21 ... .
Apart from being lucky, 13 is also:
The average age at which an American develops a phobia.
The waist measurement in inches decreed for ladies at the court of Catherine de Medici.
The number of Wembley stadia needed to hold the spoil from the Channel Tunnel.
The percentage of the world's bananas grown in India.
The estimated percentage of Britons on a diet at any given moment.
Competition: Five more of our "26 L of the A" (Letters of the Alphabet) teasers with three Chambers Dictionary prizes for correct disentanglings received by 25 July.
5 T on a F
6 F in a F
81/2 F by F
26 F in a Y
32 D F at W W F
Entries to: Pastimes, the Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL.
29 June answers and prizes:
1 Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison; 8 Maids a-Milking; 9 Men's Morris (or Mythological Muses); 26 Miles in a Marathon; 1609 Metres in a Mile. Winners: Mrs PRM Jackson, Mrs Claire Whitaker, Paul Livesey.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments