Some numbers have really curious properties! You may sometimes think that they are boring - right? Proof that they are not is to be found if you click here.

The 196-Algorithm is concerned with the way of producing (or not, as in this case) palindromic numbers. First let us look at the way of producing polindromic numbers through a procedure now called 196-Algorithm.

(Palindromic numbers are numbers which are the same when written backwards: for example 1551 is a palindromic number as is 20002).

Take any positive integer of two or more digits and reverse the digits. For example, take:

5280

reverse:

825

add the two:

5280+825=6105

Now repeat the process:

6105

reverse:

5016

add the two:

6105+5016=11121

Repeat the process again:

11121

reverse:

12111

add the two

11121+12111=23232

and presto! 23232 is a polindromic number!

The 196-Algorithm is called as such because 196 is one of the numbers on which this procedure DOES NOT work! Since the 1990s people have tried to find the polindrome in a number sequence produced by the above procedure, when it began with 196. Tim Irvin produced a number having 2 million digits by the procedure (starting from 196), but have not reached a polindromic number. Maybe you can try it!