If these famous mathematicians were alive today, they would probably be sporting the
license plates below. Can you identify the owner of each vanity plate?
Click on the plate for a hint.
Solution to the Problem:
State | Vanity Plate | Mathematician |
---|---|---|
Virginia: | 1 4 6 4 1 | Pascal |
Georgia: | 1 1 2 3 5 8 | Fibonacci |
Ohio: | 7 - 24 - 25 | Pythagoras |
dy / dx | Leibniz | |
(0,0) | Descartes | |
Connecticut: | 5/9 (F - 32) | Celsius |
Florida: | FLUXION | Newton |
s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c) | Heron | |
Michigan: | E I PI 1 O | Euler |
Pennsylvania: | 5 0 5 0 | Gauss |
South Carolina: | ELEMENTS | Euclid |
My wife (a math major) looked at Michigan's license plate and told me that the answer was Old MacDonald (ee-ii-pi-ii-oo). She is such a kidder. |
Here are some great answers that were sent in for the extra credit:
Contributed by: | Vanity Plate | Mathematician |
---|---|---|
Sagar Patel | MC 2 | Einstein |
Olivia Quach Sharina Smith |
E IS MCC | Einstein |
Keith Mealy Patrick McDuffee Maggie Morrison Andrew Montoya |
E MC2 | Einstein |
John DeBergh | R LA TIV T | Einstein |
Walt Arrison | FOR E A | Fourier |
Torbjorn Jansson | 1/0 | Bhaskara |
Jeffrey Gaither Erin Fennacy |
XN YN ZN | Fermat |
Jo Monhollen | MARGINS | Fermat |
Danny Gordon | 4 COLORS | Wolfgang Haken |
Ben Swartz | MYOO(N) | Mobius |
Stephen O'Hara | PI - 314 | Archimedes |
Correctly solved by:
1. Sagar Patel | Columbus, Georgia |
2. Olivia Quach | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
3. Walt Arrison | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
4. John Funk | Ventura, California |
5. Keith Mealy | Cincinnati, Ohio |
6. Charlie Cumiskey | Columbus, Georgia |
7. Torbjorn Jansson | Orebro, Sweden |
8. Jeffrey Gaither | University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia |
9. Slayton Gilmore | Columbus, Georgia |
10. Jo Monhollen | Pasadena City College Pasadena, California |
11. Russell Beaty | Columbus, Georgia |
12. Sharina Smith | Newport News, Virginia |
13. Heather Brown | Winchester, Virginia |
14. Patrick McDuffee | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
15. Charles Washington | Winchester, Virginia |
16. Ben Swartz | Winchester, Virginia |
17. Carter Galbraith | Columbus, Georgia |
18. Danny Gordon | Columbus, Georgia |
19. Tristan Collins | Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia |
20. Elizabeth Carlson | Winchester, Virginia |
21. Phillip Diana | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia |
22. Erin Fennacy | Fresno, California |
23. Maggie Morrison | Winchester, Virginia |
24 John DeBergh | Winchester, Virginia |
25. Andrew Montoya | Winchester, Virginia |
26. Stephen O'Hara | Winchester, Virginia |
27. Andrew Barnes | Winchester, Virginia |
28. Jesie Biggs | Winchester, Virginia |
29. Trish Nicholson | Jasper, Indiana |