Earlier today I set you the following set of numerical challenges to celebrate the arrival of 2026.
Auld lang signs
Here is an expression equal to 26 that uses six 1s:
(1+1)×(1+1+11)
Find expressions equal to 26 using:
You are only allowed the four basic operations, +, –, x, ÷, brackets, exponentiation and concatenation. (Exponentiation is when you make a digit the exponent, such as 11. Concatenation is when you join digits together, such as taking a two 1s and making 11.)
Solutions
9+9+9−(9/9)
8+8+8+((8+8)/8)
7+7+((77+7)/7)
6×6+(6−66)/6
5×5+(5/5)
4+(44×4/(4+4))
33 − 3/3
22 + 2 + 2
Good tidings to all! I’ll be back in 7+7+((77+7)/7)
Thanks to Inder Taneja, author of the website numbers-magic.com. He has many more facts about the coming year in his paper 26 and 2026 in Numbers and Magic Squares
I’ve been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I’m always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
