polygonal number
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major reference
- In number game: Polygonal and other figurate numbers
Among the many relationships of numbers that have fascinated man are those that suggest (or were derived from) the arrangement of points representing numbers into series of geometrical figures. Such numbers, known as figurate or polygonal numbers, appeared in 15th-century…
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Greek mathematics
- In mathematics: Number theory
…in the form of “polygonal numbers.” For instance, if the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4,…are added successively, the “triangular” numbers 1, 3, 6, 10,…are obtained; similarly, the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7,…sum to the “square” numbers 1, 4, 9, 16,…, while the sequence 1, 4, 7, 10,…, with…
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