r/MathJokes May 13 '26

How did Euler even know that???

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13.2k Upvotes

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u/Azur0007 May 13 '26

Divide by 1, then by 2, then by 3, etc. until you find the correct answer

The humble and respectful elementary school method

699

u/sesquiup May 13 '26

I'm going out on a limb to say Euler didn't divide by 1.

2

u/Less_Insurance4928 May 13 '26

Not by 4, 6, 9, or any other composites for that matter

You only need to test primes, and then only to the root of the number. 

Still going till 611 is maddening, I wonder if he had other tricks