When Augustus de Morgan (a mathematician who was born and died in the 19th century) was asked about his age, he replied: “I was x years old in the year x².” What year was he born in?
Could such a strange lot have befallen someone who was born and died in the 20th century?
Answer
The only perfect square in the 19th century is:
1849
Which would make him
43 years old on that date, born in 1806
For the 20th century:
It is not possible.
The only perfect square is 1936.
However, that would make him 44 years old and born in 1892, which is in the 19th century.
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