Skip to main content

Sunday’s date is a rare palindrome that hasn’t happened in over 900 years

“We are so lucky to have such a special palindrome date occurring in our lifetime because it’s so rare,” Inan told USA TODAY Saturday.
For starters, it’s an eight-digit palindrome: 02022020. Many palindrome dates are only symmetrical if you write the date with seven digits (1-10-2011) — or in some cases even fewer (9-10-19).
But even more rare, according to Inan, is that Sunday’s date is an international palindrome: It works whether you write the date as “Month/Day/Year” or “Day/Month/Year,” as many countries do.
Inan calls such dates “ubiquitous palindromes,” and there won’t be another one for 101 years. After that, you’ll have to wait until March 3, 3030.
According to Inan’s calculations, the last such palindrome date to occur was 11/11/1111 – more than 900 years ago.
For years, Inan has been crunching numbers using a basic calculator and a pad of paper to find unique patterns  in dates.
“I advocate for these things because they’re so valuable for STEM education,” he said.
It’s an accessible kind of puzzle that he has used to engage students and get people talking about math.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

CK Akonnor wins dismissal case against Kotoko, Ghanaian giants ordered to pay compensation

Asante Kotoko are expected to CK Akonnor a hefty compensation after the former coach won his case for wrongful dismissal against the club on Monday. The Player Status Committee has ruled the Porcupine Warriors breached the terms of his contract. The ex-Ghana international was sacked in July this year, just nine months into his three-year contract. He dragged the club to the Ghana Football Association demanding his 2 years salary, league trophy cash, and CAF Confederations Cup group stage entitlements. The Player Status Committee ruled that the club was not justified in terminating the contract of the former Hearts of Oak gaffer. Both parties are yet to be furnished with a copy of the ruling. Akonnor rejected an offer to head the club’s technical directorate and left his post under bitter circumstances. The gaffer had been in charge for a close to a year having had stints with Kotoko sworn rivals Hearts of Oak and regional rivals Ashantigold. He had also coached D...

Full History of the living Legend Dag Heward-Mills on Personality Library (Edition 1b)

Dag Heward-Mills was born on the 14 May 1963 to a Swiss mother and Ghanaian father (Nathaniel and Elizabeth Heward-Mills) in London, United Kingdom. He moved with his family soon after his birth to Accra Ghana and has spent his entire life in Ghana. He was converted to Christianity while having his secondary education at Achimota School.  He joined Christian youth campaigns such as the Scripture Union as well as the Calvary Road Singers (which later became Harvest Chapel International immediately after his conversion. He proceeding to the University of Ghana Medical School, where he was trained as a medical doctor.  He started the Light House Chapel International while still a student in Medical school, having felt a strong call of God to start a church. In his fifth year of Medical School, Dag started the church in a little classroom in the School of Hygiene, Korle-Bu, with no more than 15 members. Amidst persecutions in various forms and with his academic work dema...

Today In History: Kwame Nkrumah arrives in Guinea After the Coup

When news of the coup reached him, Nkrumah was in Peking (today’s Beijing) en route to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with plans to end the American war in Vietnam. Leaders of four African countries sent Nkrumah immediate messages of support and invitations. They were the presidents of Egypt (Gamal Abdel Nasser), Mali (Modibo Keita), Guinea (Sekou Toure), and Tanzania (Julius Nyerere). Nkrumah decided to accept Sekou Toure’s invitation. The government of Guinea shared Nkrumah’s Pan-African objectives, encompassing the liberation of the African people from all forms of social injustice and economic exploitation. There also existed a strong brotherly bond between Nkrumah and Sekou Toure. In addition, Guinea was closest to Ghana, to where Nkrumah was determined to return to carry on his work. Sekou Toure came to the rescue of Kwame Nkrumah, the deposed of Ghana and invited him to Guinea where he arrived on March 2, 1966, together with his bodyguards and a few civil servants w...