Dattaraya Ramchandra Kaprekar

Dattaraya Ramchandra Kaprekar

 https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2016/11/dattaraya-ramchandra-kaprekar.html

Dattaraya Ramchandra Kaprekar was born on January 17, 1905, at Dahanu, near Bombay. His mother died when he was barely eight years old. His father, who was clerk, brought him up as best as he could. The clerk might not have known much of mathematics, but astrology was his hobby and he taught it to the child.

Astrology introduced Kaprekar to the world of numbers. Calculations thrilled him. He started trying to find the shortest possible routes to solve mathematical problems. He used to spend hours solving mathematical puzzles and problems. In 1927 he won the Wrangler R. P. Paranjpe Mathematical Prize for an original piece of work in mathematics. In 1929 he took his B.Sc. from the Fergusson College in Pune and became a school teacher.

What is the “Kaprekar constant” that he discovered in 1946? It is the number 6174. To see how it is constant, take any four digit number in which not all digits are alike. Arrange the digits in descending order and reverse them to make a new number. If this process is repeated with the remainders, eventually, say, in eight steps or more, the constant 6174 is arrived at and this number then itself.

Let us see how it works. Take any 4 digit number other than 1111 which will not yield the result. The number taken should contain at least two different digits. For example 8991.

Now make the biggest number with these four digits. It is 9981 and the smallest out of these is 1899.Subtract the smaller number from the bigger number. 9981-1899= 8082. Now again out of this number make the biggest band the smallest and subtract the smaller one from the bigger one. 8820-0288= 8532. Again 8532-2358= 6174

We can try with any other four digit number. Say 9801.

9801-0189= 9612

9621-1269= 8352

8532-2358= 6174

The number of steps may be more or less the ultimate answer is the same.

That great man named that number as HARSHADA SANKHYA or HARSHAD NUMBER. Harsha we may equate to Happiness. DA (In Telugu it is ద in Telugu AND ದ IN KANNADA) Means Giver. That is it generates a sort of exclamation. Such great people should be introduced to children. Then they will come to know about the great Indian and his great work. Above all the parents are inducing the concept of ‘Mathematics- a fun’ in the children’s mind.

Swasthi.