What is the difference between odd and even numbers?
The Leftover Pebble
What is the difference between odd and even numbers?
Numbers love to do one thing more than anything else: pair up. Two by two, like passengers boarding a tiny boat. And it turns out the whole secret of odd and even hides in a single question — when everyone tries to grab a partner, does anybody get left standing alone?
Let's start with six jellybeans. Push them together in twos. One pair, two pairs, three pairs — and look, nobody is left over. Every jellybean has a buddy. When a number pairs up perfectly with no leftovers, we call it even.
