Pickover revisits "Apocalypse Numbers": the 3184th Fibonacci number has 666 digits
pickover · x · 2026-11-13
Clifford Pickover shares his classic paper "Apocalypse Numbers" from Mathematical Spectrum — the full journal issue PDF is now free to read.
The core finding: the 3184th Fibonacci number is "apocalyptic," having exactly 666 digits, with the full value printed in the paper.
It also lists unsolved problems:
- Is this the only apocalyptic Fibonacci number?
- Does an apocalyptic prime exist?
- The first and last four digits (1167 and 1163) are both years from the reign of Frederick I of Germany — coincidence?
- Do piano keys (2+3 black notes, 5 black / 8 white per octave) echo the Fibonacci sequence 1,2,3,5,8?
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