Bernard (Bernie) Sanders is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007. Sanders is the longest-serving independent in congressional history [1].
In 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president of the United States. His campaign was noted for its supporters’ enthusiasm as well as for its rejection of large donations from corporations, the financial industry and any associated Super PAC. Sanders effectively articulated a set of progressive values and ideas such as free college tuition, healthcare for all, creating jobs, raising wages, women’s rights, racial justice, affordable housing, protecting the environment, caring for the veterans and others.
Throughout his campaign, Sanders consistently displayed his honest character to the point that even some of those who disagreed with his political views credited him on his honesty. The well-being of the American people was at the heart of his political agenda which resonated with a huge base of voters, particularly young voters.
Sanders turned 77 on September 8, 2018 and I constructed the following fun number extravaganza as a birthday present for him:
1. Both Bernard and Sanders consists of 7 letters each, and 7 and 7 put side by side yield 77, Sanders’s new age.
2. The sum of the digits of 77 equals 14, and, interestingly, the reverse of 14 – namely 41 – is the rightmost two digits of 1941, the year Sanders was born.
3. Furthermore, the reverse of the middle two digits of 1941, namely 49, equals 7 x 7.
4. Also, the sum of the squares of the digits of 77 yields 98, Sanders’s birth date, September 8 (9/8).
5. Moreover, if 1941 is split into two numbers consisting of its alternating digits as 14 and 91, these two numbers differ by 77.
6. Additionally, 2018 equals 2 times 1009, and 2 and 1009 are the 1st and 169th prime numbers. The sum of the square roots of 1 and 169, namely 1 and 13, equals 14 (see item # 2).
7. Sanders’s new age 77 equals 7 times 11 and these two prime factors add up to 18, the rightmost two digits of 2018.
8. Also, 7 and 11 are the 4th and 5th prime numbers, and the sum of the squares of 4 and 5 equals 41 (again, see item # 2).
9. Sanders was born in 1941 on 9/08, and the sum of the prime multipliers of 908 – namely 2, 2 and 227 – equals 231, and 231 equals 3 times 77. Further, 227 is the 49th prime number, and 49 equals 7 x 7.
10. Sanders’s birth year 1941 equals 3 x 647 and the reverse of 647, namely 746, equals twice 373 and 373 is the 74th prime number. Interestingly, the reverse of 74 – namely 47 – times 2 results in 94. The reverse of 94, namely 49, equals 7 x 7.
11. Sanders’s 78th birthday in 2019 will be special since 78 equals twice the sum of the leftmost and rightmost halves of 2019.
12. Sanders’s 79th birthday in 2020 will also be special since the sum of the digits of 79 equals 16 and the 16th prime number is 53, which equals the sum of the numbers assigned to the letters of Bernie.
13. Sanders’s 80th birthday in 2021 will be special since the sum of the numbers assigned to the letters of Sanders equals 80.
14. Sanders’s 81st birthday in 2022 will also be special since the sum of the prime factors of the reverse of his birth year, namely 1491, equals 3 + 7 + 71 = 81.
15. Lastly, Sanders’s birthday coincides with the 251st day of any non-leap year (e.g., 2018) and the reverse of 251, namely 152, equals 98 (Sanders’s birth date, 9/8) plus 54 and the 54th prime number is 251.
Happy 77th birthday Bernie Sanders! If you decide to run again for the U.S. presidency in 2020, I look forward to seeing all the energy, enthusiasm and excitement your presidential campaign brings to America once again.
[1] Bernie Sanders, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders
Aziz Inan is a professor and chair of the electrical engineering program at University of Portland. He can be reached at ainan@up.edu.
