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Are Your Students 'Happy', 'Perfect' Or 'Amicable'?, Ray Peck

Ray Peck

'Happy' numbers were discovered by a young girl. 'Perfect' numbers were known to the Greeks and given special significance. 'Amicable' numbers have a long history in magic and astrology, making love potions and talismans. In 1866, a sixteen year-old boy discovered a pair of amicable numbers previously unknown. Birthdays, house numbers, telephone numbers and even the names of the students in a class can provide the number source for investigation. This mathematics is interesting and accessible to students in the middle years and provides an opportunity to explore numbers, practice skills, learn some history of mathematics and have some fun …