# Four way valid expression

People really like to twist the numbers and digits bringing fun into life. For example, someone asks, “how much is two and two?” : the answer should be four according to basic (decimal based) arithmetic. But the same  with base three (in ternary number system) equals to 11. Two and Two also equals to Twenty Two. Similarly there are many ways you can add them and get different results.

Dmitri A. Borgmann, the German recreationalist, puzzler and father of logology, noticed the following expression

11+2-1=12

which is valid in following four ways:

1. Usual Decimal Summation:
11+2=13 & 13-1=12 $\Rightarrow$ 11+2-1=12.
2. As Roman Numerals:
XI + II = XIII     & XIII – I = XII $\Rightarrow$ XI+II-I=XII.
3. As set of Characters:
11 added 2 = 112 & 112 removed 1= 12
4. As set of letters:
ELEVEN + TWO = ELEVENTWO
&              ELEVENTWO - ONE = LEVETW = TWELVE.

So, is there any other expression like this?

Gaurav Tiwari

A designer by profession, a mathematician by education but a Blogger by hobby. With an experience of over seven years with WordPress, PHP and CSS3, Gaurav is capable of doing almost anything related to these. Beyond that, He is a mathematics graduate & a civil service aspirant.