February 2, 2020: A Palindrome!

Feb 2, 2020 By Deepa Gopal
Deepa Gopal's picture

Palindrome date - 02022020This year, February 2nd was much more than Groundhog Day -- the day when Punxsutawney Phil takes a peek at the weather and offers us sage advice!

After Phil was pulled out of the burrow by his handlers. Since he did not see his own shadow, the organizers concluded that spring will arrive early and temperatures will be warmer soon.

While this is certainly a cause for excitement (even though Phil has been correct only 40% of the time), the day held a bigger significance for mathematicians.

Let's take another look at the date -- 02022020. Do you see a pattern? The sequence of numbers is the same whether you read left to right, or right to left! This is known as a palindrome. The last date palindrome occurred on 11/11/1111, and the next one won’t come until 12/12/2121. 

Big news for all of us who have lived through this unique date, isn't it! Do you know any palindrome words? Here are a few to get you started -- kayak, radar, racecar...