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Title

A Mathematica'l Magic Trick
Author

Stan Wagon
Organization: Macalester College
Department: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
URL: http://www.stanwagon.com/
Journal / Anthology

The College Mathematics Journal
Volume: 25
Issue: 4
Page range: 325-329
Description

Ask someone with a calculator to square the four-digit number obtained by concatenating his or her month and date of birth. The have the subject square his or her year of birth. Now ask for the sum of the two numbers. In an instant, with some help from Mathematica and a function called BirthDate (user-defined, not built into Mathematica), you reply with the birth date.
Subject

*Mathematics > Recreational Mathematics