Words that Equal $1

Date: 09/02/97 at 23:31:10
From: Brad Jashinsky
Subject: Words that equal $1

Each letter of the alphabet is given a value: 
a = 1 cent, z = 26 cents. Find words that equal exactly $1.  

Excellent and discipline are examples. I have tried to come up 
with a logical way to find words, but have only been able to use 
trial and error with the dictionary.

Please give me a clue, as there must be an easier way.

Thanks,

Brad Jashinsky

Date: 09/03/97 at 19:08:49
From: Doctor Barney
Subject: Re: Words that equal $1

Concentrate on the vowels. Write the vowels on a piece of paper 
with their "price" next to them. Then make word forms with common 
vowel combinations, for example:

_i_e,  _ai_,  _oo_,  _oa_,  _ee_,  ... that sort of thing.  

Think of a word with that pattern and add it up; then try 
to substitute consonents later or earlier in the alphabet 
to increase or decrease the total as needed.  

You could also try other common letter groupings, like  
qu__, ____ing,  ____tion, con___,  att___,  __eigh__,   
or dipthongs like ph, sh, spl, fr,  and common roots like 
hyp__,  geo___, phys__, phil___,  etc.  Add all these 
up and see if that helps upi make some combinations that 
add up to $1.  


Another totally different approach would be to pick some letters  
more or less at random which already add up to $1, and then see 
if you can make some words with them, kind of like the puzzles where 
the letters are scrambled, except in this case there would be no 
guarantee that you could make any word with those letters.  
Make sure you pick some vowels, and if you pick a q pick a u 
to go with it, that sort of thing.  

Have fun!   

-Doctor Barney,  The Math Forum
 Check out our web site!  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/