Sideways Math

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 1994 19:28:48 PST
From: Barbara Christensen 574-6560
Subject: Sideways Math

I am a 4th grader at Laurel School in San Mateo and I want to see if you can 
solve this problem.

 One
+One 
_______
 Two

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 14:27:27 +0000
From: Elizabeth Weber
Subject: Re: Sideways Math

Hello!

        If I understand your question, you're asking if I can find some
numbers to put in for the letters in your problem.  I always liked this
kind of problem.

        If I say that e=1, when I add the ones digits, I find out that o=2.
 Then I put 2 in for the Os in the hundreds places, and when I add, I find
out that T=4.  n can be anything I want as long as 2 x n is a single digit
number.  I've already used the numbers 1, 2, and 4 in this problem, so I'm
going to let n = 3.  When I add the tens digits, I find out that w = 6.  So
the problem is:
                     231
                    +231
                    ----
                     462

Here are some questions for you to think about:

     Can you figure out why 2 x n has to be a single digit number?  
     What is the greatest number n could be?
     Can T be any number?
     Can you find the greatest number e could be?
     How many right answers are there to your problem?

                         Thanks for writing to Dr. Math!
                               Elizabeth, a math doctor