Editing 247: Factoring the Time

[[Cueball]] is bored, so he has been calculating the {{w|Prime factor|prime factors}} of the time shown on the clock. The prime factor of a positive number is a number which could be divided only by {{w|Prime number|prime numbers}}. Cuball is been doing this for almost two hours (from 1:00 pm to 2:53 pm). The number 2 is the smallest prime but is not a factor of 253, which is an odd number. The smallest prime factor of 253 is 11, which makes the other factor 23.

His co-worker decides to mess with Cueball and so he switches the clock from 12-hour time (2:53 pm) to 24-hour time (14:53). This makes factorization more difficult, as the time now shown is a four digit number rather than a three digit number. The number 1,453 is actually a prime number and so has no factors but one and itself. Cueball has exactly one minute to determine this, which is nearly impossible to be done by a human brain..  

In the title text, [[Randall]] claims he applies the same challenge to {{w|highway location marker}}s. At highway speeds (60+ mph), they would show up at least once per minute. Combined with the need to also concentrate on driving, factorizing numbers in the allowed time becomes much more difficult despite the lower numbers on the markers.

:[One man is sitting at a computer. Cueball sits at a separate desk. There is a clock which reads 2:53.]

:[Man at desk reaches back and touches the clock.]

[[Category:Math]]