Palindrome Problem

Date: 6 Feb 1995 15:28:25 -0500
From: Anonymous
Subject: Palidrome problem

The "Reversing Number Algorithm" is:
1. Take a number, add it to its reverse (mirror image)
2. See if the result is a palindrome
3. If not, go back to step 1 and do it again

It's thought that most (perhaps all) numbers eventually wind up being
palindromes.  Have you see any references/results about this problem?  
Where do you suggest I look in the literature?  Are you familiar with any 
similar problems?

Thanks!

Date: 15 Feb 1995 21:09:53 GMT
From: Dr. Math
Subject: Re: Palidrome problem

Hello there!

Wow, that's an interesting problem.  I've never seen it before.  Is this
something you thought of yourself (you use the language "it's thought" -
by whom?) or did you find this somewhere?  You may want to look in the
book "Unsolved Problems in Number Theory".  Here's its info:

 AUTHOR       Guy, Richard K.
              Guy, Richard K. Unsolved problems in intuitive mathematics ; v.1
 TITLE        Unsolved problems in number theory / Richard K. Guy.
 PUBLISHER    New York : Springer-Verlag, c1981.
 DESCRIPT     xviii, 161 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
 SUBJECT      Number theory --Problems, exercises, etc.
 SERIES       Problem books in mathematics.
 NOTE         Includes bibliographies and indexes.
 ISBN         0387905936.

I hope this isn't a dead end for you; it looks like a neat problem!

-Ken "Dr." Math