Mystery sequence in Dec. MAA Focus Magazine

[franktaw at netscape.net]

What is the arrangement of the numbers on the icosohedron?  This could 
well be significant.

Franklin T. Adams-Watters


-----Original Message-----
From: njas at research.att.com

  Dear Seqfans,  Here is an opportunity for some real publicity
for the OEIS, if someone can explain a certain set of 20 numbers
on a three-hundred year-old gold icosahedral box.

Tony Noe noticed them in the M.A.A. Focus magazine, and wrote saying:

> On page 13 of this month's issue, there's a sequence that appears on 
the
> faces of a gold icosahedron.  The numbers are
> 11,20,21,31,41,51,61,71,81,91,101,201,301,401,501,601,701,801,901,202.

I looked at the article, and I think they should have put the numbers
in increasing order (they are around the faces of an icosahedron,
so there no other natural ordering).  But since the magazine
put them in a strange order, i will include two
versions of it in the OEIS, as follows:

%I A124250
%S A124250 
11,20,21,31,41,51,61,71,81,91,101,201,202,301,401,501,601,701,801,
%T A124250 901
%N A124250 Finite set of numbers found inscribed on faces of a 17th or 
18th
century Mughal gold box in the shape of an icosahedron, from the 
treasury of
Tipu Sultan.
%C A124250 The significance of these numbers is not known.
%D A124250 Harry Waldman, MAA is offered opportunity to buy a unique 
gold logo,
FOCUS (Math. Assoc. Amer.), Vol. 26 (No. 9, 2006), p. 13.
%O A124250 1,1
%K A124250 nonn,fini,full,unkn
%A A124250 njas, based on email from T. D. Noe, Dec 15 2006

%I A124251
%S A124251 
11,20,21,31,41,51,61,71,81,91,101,201,301,401,501,601,701,801,901,
%T A124251 202
%N A124251 Another version of A124250.
%D A124250 Harry Waldman, MAA is offered opportunity to buy a unique 
gold logo,
FOCUS (Math. Assoc. Amer.), Vol. 26 (No. 9, 2006), p. 13.
%O A124251 1,1
%Y A124251 See A124250 for further information.
%K A124251 nonn,fini,full,unkn
%A A124251 njas, based on email from T. D. Noe, Dec 15 2006


The magazine asks MAA members for an explanation of the numbers.

Neil


________________________________________________________________________
Check Out the new free AIM(R) Mail -- 2 GB of storage and 
industry-leading spam and email virus protection.