A tribute to George Boole on his bicentennial birthday

by Aziz Inan |

George Boole (born: 2 November 1815 - died: 8 December 1864, at 49) was an English mathematician, educator, philosopher and logician who invented Boolean algebra of logic which serves as the foundation of the digital age [1]. Today, 2 November 2015 marks his 200^th birthday and as a tribute to him, I constructed the following numerical birthday brainteasers:

1. If numbers 1 to 26 are assigned to the letters of the English alphabet as A being 1, B is 2, C equals 3, etc., the numbers assigned to the letters of “Boole” add up to 49. Coincidentally, Boole died at age 49. In addition, the prime factors of 2015 (5, 13, and 31) which marks his bicentennial birthday also add up to 49. Also, if reverse of 2015 given by 5102 is split into 51 and 02, these two numbers differ by 49.
2. If 2015 is split as 20 and 15, these two numbers add up to 35, and twice the reverse of 35 (53) is 106, which coincides with the sum of the numbers assigned to the letters of “George Boole”. In addition, Boole’s birthday number 200 minus 106 equals 94, which is the reverse of 49 (“Boole”). Also, number 200 is three times 49 plus half of 106. Also, the sum of the prime factors of 94 (2 and 47) yield back 49.
3. Interestingly enough, the numbers assigned to the letters of Boole’s birth month, “November,” also add up to 94, which is the reverse of 49 (“Boole”).
4. Note also that 49 (“Boole”) equal 7² and Boole died on the 343^rd day of 1864 where 343 equals 7³.
5. If 08-12-1864 (the day Boole died) is split as 08, 12, 18, and 64, these four numbers add up to 102, which when subtracted from 200, yields twice 49. Also, 102 equals 02 times 51 where the reverses of 02 and 51 put side by side yield 2015, Boole’s 200^th birthday year. Also, the sum of the reverses of the prime factors of 0211 (Boole’s birth date, 2 November) yields 31 + 71 = 102.
6. If Boole’s birthday 02-11-1815 is split as 0211 and 1815, interestingly enough, the prime multipliers of 211 (13 and 17) and the prime multipliers of 1815 (3, 5, 11 and 11) each add up to 30.
7. Boole was born on the 306^th day of 1815 where four times the reverse of twice two less than half of 306 yields 812, which represents 8 December, the day Boole died.
8. If Boole lived longer, he would have turned 66 in 1881 where both 66 and 1881 are palindrome numbers. In addition, his birthday number would have been twice 88 in 1991 and three times 99 in 2112.
9. If Boole’s 201^st birthday next year expressed as 02-11-2016 is split as 02, 11, 20, and 16, these four numbers add up to 49 (“Boole”).
10. Lastly, Boole’s 211^th birthday to occur in 2026 will be special since 211 coincide with his birth date, 0211 (2 November).