A small but significant number in London cab lore has become synonymous with mathematical brilliance - the licence plate 1729. For G.H. Hardy, a British mathematician who boarded a London cab on his way to meet his Indian colleague Srinivasa Ramanujan in 1919, this ordinary-seeming number held extraordinary significance.
The story begins when Ramanujan, upon spotting the taxi's licence plate, exclaimed, "It is a very interesting number... it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways." Hardy's anecdote has since become one of the most well-known in British mathematics, inspiring what's known as taxicab numbers - any number that can be expressed as the sum of two cubes in n different ways.
Today, this fascination with 1729 continues to inspire innovation. In fact, the UK is set to launch its first specialist maths secondary school, aptly named the 1729 Maths School, which aims to nurture top mathematical talent from an early age. With backing from prominent mathematicians' philanthropists, the school promises to provide bursaries for pupils who cannot afford fees.
As London's iconic cabs continue to ferry passengers through the city streets, their licence plates may hold secrets of mathematical elegance - but only those with a keen eye can spot them. The puzzle enthusiasts among us will be delighted to tackle the three puzzles featured in this article, all linked to the captivating number 1729.
The story begins when Ramanujan, upon spotting the taxi's licence plate, exclaimed, "It is a very interesting number... it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways." Hardy's anecdote has since become one of the most well-known in British mathematics, inspiring what's known as taxicab numbers - any number that can be expressed as the sum of two cubes in n different ways.
Today, this fascination with 1729 continues to inspire innovation. In fact, the UK is set to launch its first specialist maths secondary school, aptly named the 1729 Maths School, which aims to nurture top mathematical talent from an early age. With backing from prominent mathematicians' philanthropists, the school promises to provide bursaries for pupils who cannot afford fees.
As London's iconic cabs continue to ferry passengers through the city streets, their licence plates may hold secrets of mathematical elegance - but only those with a keen eye can spot them. The puzzle enthusiasts among us will be delighted to tackle the three puzzles featured in this article, all linked to the captivating number 1729.
that's literally dedicated to nurturing talent from an early age! it's about time we invest in the next generation of math whizzes 
and I'm sure the 1729 maths school will be EPIC 
with puzzles and challenges galore for students who love solving problems like this... taxicab numbers are so cool btw who knew licence plates could hold such mathematical secrets? 
Like, who knew that a random London cab plate could inspire a whole school dedicated to nurturing math talent? It's amazing to see how something as simple as a number can have such a profound impact on people's lives. And I'm sure the puzzle enthusiasts out there will have a blast tackling those puzzles linked to 1729 
and nobody's talking about how that's gonna impact the future leaders of our country 
like, who's gonna be making the decisions that shape our world in 20 years? 
shouldn't we be focusing on preparing kids for that instead of just teaching them maths formulas 
I mean, who knew that something as ordinary looking as a taxi licence plate could hold such deep significance? And it's so cool that there's even a school named after it now! 
I mean, who knew London cabs could be so math-y? Like, I was taking the tube yesterday and saw a cab with the plate 1729... I was like "Is that just a weird number or is it actually a genius-level number?" 
. Can't wait to see if the new students will be able to solve the puzzles and make 1729 proud! 
. It's so cool how that ordinary-seeming licence plate became a benchmark for finding numbers with unique properties. And now they're opening up this new school just to nurture more geniuses like Hardy and Ramanujan - genius! 
. Can't they just make math fun again without all the fancy programs and schools? I'm not against smart people, but when does innovation become overhyped? 
. It's like a secret code waiting to unlock some serious brain power 
But seriously, it's amazing how something as simple as a taxi plate can have such a profound impact on math and education. I'm curious to know more about the curriculum they'll be teaching at this new school - will they be covering all sorts of taxicab numbers and puzzles? 
i was at the park w/ my bf & we saw a cab w/ license plate 1729 & i was like "wait a minth" 
but hey, who needs a boyfriend when u have math problems to solve 
! It's crazy that something so simple on a taxi plate can become such a big deal in the world of numbers. I mean, who knew that a number could hold so much power and beauty? The fact that it inspired an entire branch of maths (taxicab numbers) is just mind-blowing 
! I'm all for nurturing young talent and encouraging them to explore their love for maths - who knows what amazing things they'll come up with? 
. I'm kinda rooting for this school to make a real difference in the lives of young minds. Plus, it's cool to see how a humble licence plate number has become synonymous with mathematical brilliance 
and can you believe it's all thanks to a random cab licence plate?!? 1729 is literally going to be the coolest number in town now 
. who cares if there's only one number that can be expressed as the sum of two cubes in two different ways? it's not like it's going to change our lives or anything 
. and another thing, why do we need a whole school dedicated to math just because some dude in london liked the licence plate 1729? what about all the other subjects that are actually important in life, like science or art 
?
I mean, what's next? Are we gonna start naming schools after other obscure numbers? The 427 Maths School or something? 
Give me a break. And bursaries for pupils who can't afford fees? Sounds like the government is just trying to guilt trip us into supporting more unnecessary educational institutions