Talk:Evil number

Origin of term

A comment in the OEIS sequence says "The terms "evil numbers" and "odious numbers" were coined by Richard K. Guy, c. 1976 (Haque and Shallit, 2016) and appeared in the book by Berlekamp et al. (Vol. 1, 1st ed., 1982)." (Where "the book" is "Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays".) I skimmed https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.00092 which seemed likely to be the relevant Haque and Shallit paper, but did not spot any comment about the origin of the terms. I think the origins of these terms would be of definite interest if anyone can source something sufficiently solid. Hv (talk) 12:30, 29 June 2023 (UTC)

Requested move 23 April 2026

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: not moved. Favonian (talk) 18:37, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

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Evil number → Even-parity integer – The current title "Evil number" is an inappropriate and unprofessional pun that can be confusing or off-putting to students. I propose renaming the article to Even-parity integer (standing for Even count of binary integers/1s). This term is more professional and focuses on the mathematical property (even parity) without the unnecessary and dramatic moral label. Following the rename, "Evil number" should be kept as a redirect only for historical context. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 18:37, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

:Just to clarify for the record, the proposed final title is '''Even-parity integer''' to ensure it follows the standard Wikipedia naming style for mathematical concepts. ~~~~ ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 19:03, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Comment The current title is a confusing 1970-era pun that creates a barrier for students. Even-parity integer (Even-binary-integer) is a descriptive, professional alternative that clarifies the mathematical property of even-parity without the distracting moral labels of the 1980s. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 21:07, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Comment — If "Evin" is considered too new, then the article must at least be moved to Even-parity integer. This is the standard, professional mathematical term. Keeping the title as a "joke pun" like "Evil number" is a barrier to students and belongs in a history section, not as the primary title of a mathematical property. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 21:15, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Comment — The current terminology is an archaic pun that no longer serves a modern mathematical or educational purpose. Using "Evil" and "Odious" is a distracting barrier for students and creates an unprofessional tone in a formal encyclopedia.

My proposal is to move the article to Even-parity integer. (as a descriptive shorthand for Even-binary-integer) This transition:

Aligns with standard Computer Science terminology (Even-Parity).

Replaces a 1980s "joke" with a clear, logical description of the number's properties.

Provides a consistent partner for Odin numbers (Odd-parity), removing the "moral" labels from the number line entirely.

Mathematics should be defined by its properties, not by outdated wordplay. Keeping "Evil" as a primary title violates the professional standards we should expect for mathematical concepts. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 21:47, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

If moving to 'Evin number' is too technically complex due to the existing neighborhood article, I suggest we move the page to Even-parity integer instead. This keeps the professional terminology while avoiding any naming conflicts. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 10:55, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

If 'Evin' is considered too new, we should still move away from 'Evil number' toward a recognized, descriptive term like Even-parity integer or Numbers with even binary weight. These are professional terms used in computer science and weight theory. They avoid the unprofessional 'moral labels' while still being supported by existing literature. ~2026-24946-71 (talk) 12:58, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

To address the concern that 'Evin' is too new: Even-parity integer is a well-established technical term in computer science that predates the 1970s 'Evil' pun. If the community rejects a shorthand acronym, it should still favor a professional, descriptive title over a distracting moral label. There is no policy that says a pun must override a clear technical definition.

• Oppose. No evidence that this topic is known as "evin"; this appears to be WP:OR. Note that there is already an article at Evin about an unrelated topic. 162 etc. (talk) 19:41, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
• WP:SNOW oppose per WP:NEO, WP:COMMONNAME, and WP:NOTCENSORED. Like it or not, this is what these numbers are called. WP:IDONTLIKEIT or "won't someone think of the children" are not valid arguments for a rename. —David Eppstein (talk) 20:51, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
• Oppose sans evidence that the term "evin" is used in the literature, this is pure WP:NEO and should be rejected DiscoursesonLivvy (talk · contribs) 05:09, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.