Write the number 2011 using only the digit 4 and the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, taking a square root and factorial. You can use any number composed of the digit 4, even if it's decimal, so 44 and 44.44 are both allowed. You're also allowed to use brackets.
Solution: 444 x 4 + 44 - 4 x 4 - 4 - 4/4 = 2011.
This puzzle was contributed by Paulo Ferro, a maths teacher in Oporto, Portugal. For more of Paulo's puzzles, visit his website in English or Portuguese. If you have a puzzle you think might interest Plus readers, please email us!
Solution is wrong (By Bassel)
Unless I am missing something but:
444 x 4 - 4 x 4 - 4 - 4/4=1776-16-4-1=1755 ??!!
Oops, sorry! We forgot the
Oops, sorry! We forgot the 4^4. Thanks for spotting that!
It feels more "mathematical"
It feels more "mathematical" to me to just do 4/4 + 4/4 + 4/4 + ... and keep going for 2011 terms. More "mathematical" because it's trivial to generalise to any natural number, and from there it's trivial to generalise to any integer, rational or surd.
Different Solution
I think I have a slightly different solution
4 * 4^4 + 44 * 4! - 4 * 4 * 4 + 4
Though it could stand to be checked.
How about (44 x 44) + ((4^4)
How about
(44 x 44) + ((4^4) + 44)/4
1936 + (64 + 11)
Fewer 4s
I've managed to get a solution using 10 4s, as opposed to 11, might be fun to see the equation which uses the fewest number of 4s.
Here's mine:
44^(sqrt(4))+(4*4!)-(4*4)-4-(4/4)
Which gives
44^2+(4*24)-16-4-1
=
1936+96-16-4-1 =2011
Even fewer 4s
Just 9 of them:
(4! * 4) * (4! - 4) + (4! * 4) - 4 - (4 / 4)
A primary school child's answer:
Gather 2011 (4/4)s and add them together.
There are many ways
4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4........+4 - 4/4=2011
_________503 times_____________________