English

A symmetry approach to number tricks

General Mathematics 2026-04-07 v4

Abstract

We generalize the classical "1089-number trick", which states that a certain combination of addition, subtraction and swapping the digits of a three-digit number will always output 1089. More precisely, we show that any pair of zero divisors fg=0fg=0 in the group ring Z[Σn]{\mathbb Z}[\Sigma_n] on the n-th symmetric group gives rise to a partition of the set of n-digit numbers into subsets UeU_{\mathbf e} defined by linear inequalities, such that the zero divisors act constantly on each UeU_{\mathbf e} and hence define a number trick.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2509.04487,
  title  = {A symmetry approach to number tricks},
  author = {Håkon Kolderup},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.04487},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T05:21:51.268Z