Egyptian Fractions are fractions expressed in the form of 1/n or as the sum of such fractions (1/a + 1/b + ...). For example, 2/3 would be expressed as 1/2 + 1/6.
(As found on the Rhind papyrus, 2/3 was one, if not the only, non-unit fraction used by the Egyptians.)

The following Egyptian Fractions correspond to the fractional portion of the first ten non-integer members of a "regular" series. (The "whole number" component of each member of the series is omitted and any series members without fractional components is likewise omitted).

What is the missing fraction in this sequence?

1/2 + 1/14
1/4 + 1/44
1/4 + 1/18 + 1/468
1/4 + 1/28
1/2
1/2 + 1/4 + 1/14 + 1/476
1/19
1/2 + 1/3 + 1/42
1/2 + 1/8 + 1/88
1/3 + ?

brianjn, Dej Mar is travelling abroad for the next three weeks and may or may not be able to respond to your questions before he returns.

I've been trying to determine what integers might be missing from the series --pardon me, the "regular" series, and why would Dej leave them off?  Perhaps because they would make the solution immediately obvious?  I haven't had any success with this as of yet.

Posted by Mindrod on 2006-05-29 12:49:49