Gregorian Calendar/Mistake
Source Work
1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers:
- The Dictionary
- $3333$
Mistake
- The Gregorian calendar is approximately $1$ day ahead every $3333$ years.
Correction
Using a value of $365 \cdotp 2422$ days per tropical year, it can be established that the Gregorian calendar starts one day later relative to the tropical year after $3333$ years (to the nearest day).
Using the more precise value of $365 \cdotp 24219 \, 878$ days in the tropical year, it is shown in Discrepancy between Gregorian Year and Tropical Year that the number of Gregorian years after which there is a day's discrepancy is in fact $3319$ (to the nearest day).
In Curious and Interesting Numbers, 2nd ed. of $1997$, David Wells uses the more precise $365 \cdotp 24219 \, 878$, to obtain an approximate value of $3320$ such years.
The section $3333$ has been dropped from Curious and Interesting Numbers, 2nd ed. of $1997$.
Sources
- 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $3333$