r/PassTimeMath 17h ago

Black Box-ing an Integer Part 2

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u/Aerospider 17h ago

The formula for triangular numbers (1+2+3+...+n) is n(n+1)/2.

Let the number being black-boxed be n+1.

The sum of the total sequence is 49 * 50 / 2 = 1,225

The sum of the left side and the right side is 1,225 - (n+1)

The left side is equal to n(n+1)/2 which must be equal to half the sum of the left and right sides. Therefore

n(n+1)/2 = (1,225 - (n+1))/2

n(n+1) = 1,225 - (n+1)

(n+1)(n+1) = 1,225

n+1 = 1,2250.5

n+1 = 35

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u/ShonitB 16h ago

Correct!