Different 'World' Views

First see what we said here:

Got an email:


1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1760 ..
If you haven't, add 1759..
6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)
THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2010) IT WILL EVER WORK.


Why this works can easily be seen when formulated algebraically:

pick a number , x, between 1 and 9
double it.. add 5.. then multiply it by 50 ---- (2x+5) * 50
which simplified becomes
100x + 250
they tell you to add 1760 (this is done so when added with 250 it becomes the current year of 2010)
100x + 250 +1760 == simplified becomes >>
100x + 2010
if you subtract the year you were born from 2010 you by definition will get your age in numbers... (those are the last 2 digits)
and the first digit will be whatever x was which is what you picked in the beginning.

Now my realization is this: the "world" viewpoint from which you view this process is the difference between the miraculous and the self-evident, the chaotic/probabilistic vs the rational deterministic.

Follow the exercise by plugging in for 'x' (the number of times you want to eat chocolate) makes it essentially humanly impossible to then, in the course of the exercise, realize the interrelationship of the various operations and numbers and to "see" how essentially you're just subtracting the birth year from the current year and adding an extra third digit which you started with. You can only see the inescapable logic and self-evidence by viewing it from a "higher world" of algebra.