The Art of Reading Backwards: The Magic of Palindromes
Have you ever tried reading words backwards? I tried it once when I was a kid. My name was Ilek. My cat’s name was Niffum backwards, and my favorite food was etalocohc. I went around saying words that no one else understood. It’s like I’m speaking my own language.
But then I came across some very surprising words that stayed the same when I read them backwards. “Dad” stayed Dad, and “Mom” stayed Mom, and even my friend Hannah stayed the same! I didn’t know it then, but I had discovered the very cool world of palindromes.
What is a palindrome?
Palindromes remain the same when you read them backwards or forwards. They can be words:
eye
pop
radar
They can be phrases or sentences:
never odd or even
don’t nod
Was that a cat I saw?
Do Geese See God?
They can be numbers:
505
62326
12:21 p.m
And some palindromes are even the same front, back, upside down, and upside down backwards:
108801
SOS
NOON
Palindrome Magic Trick
Here’s a trick you can do to turn almost any number into a palindrome. First think of a number and write it down:
3241
Then write that number on the back and add the two together:
3241
+ 1423
4664
In some cases it doesn’t work the first time. When that happens, just keep flipping and adding numbers until you get your palindrome:
4972
+ 2794
7766
+6677
14443
+34441
48884
Are you a palindromaniac?
Warning: palindromes can be addictive! Some people start looking for them everywhere and can go a little crazy in their quest to find palindromes.
You may be at risk of becoming a palindrome if you:
-
You have friends named Anna, Eve, Izzy, Otto or Bob.
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Your favorite times of the day are 10:01, 11:11, 5:55, etc.
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You love kayaking and have always wanted to drive a race car.
-
Your favorite car is Toyota.
Discover more
Fill your palindrome with these books and resources:
For small children: Mom and Dad are palindromesby Mark Shulman and Adam McCauley, or If you were a palindrome, by Michael Dahl. Both fun picture books are a great introduction for children to the world of palindromes.
For older children and adults: John Agee is the king of palindrome books like Go hang some salami, I’m a lasagna pigand Palindromania. Cartoon drawings are combined with goofy captions for good fun.
#Art #Reading #Magic #Palindromes
