How Does The Most Favourite Number - Numberphile Work?

The Most Favourite Number is a fun way to discover what number people like best by using simple math and colorful patterns.

Imagine you have a big bag of numbered marbles, from 1 all the way up to, say, 100. Each marble has a special trick: when you divide it by a certain number (like 7), it leaves a remainder. You color each marble based on that remainder. For example, if dividing by 7 gives you a remainder of 1, you might color it red; if it's 2, you color it blue, and so on.

Now, you spread all these marbles out in rows, like tiles on the floor. If you choose the right number to divide by (like 7), something cool happens: patterns begin to show up! These patterns look like a rainbow or a mosaic, which makes people feel happy and curious, that’s how we find the Most Favourite Number.

Think of it like playing with blocks. If you stack them in groups of 7, there will always be some leftover blocks, those leftovers are the remainders. When you color each group differently, the colors start to repeat and create pictures. People love seeing these pictures because they feel familiar, just like how they know their favorite toy or snack looks.

That’s why this number trick feels special, it's a game that everyone can play!