(I know the answer, I just want to see if you can explain it)
The Puzzle: Here is a famous prize problem that Sam Loyd issued in 1882, offering $1000 as a prize for the best answer showing how to arrange the seven figures and the eight 'dots' .4.5.6.7.8.9.0. which would add up to 82

Question

(I know the answer, I just want to see if you can explain it)
The Puzzle: Here is a famous prize problem that Sam Loyd issued in 1882, offering $1000 as a prize for the best answer showing how to arrange the seven figures and the eight 'dots' .4.5.6.7.8.9.0. which would add up to 82

anonymous · Answer

If this is multiplication I do not think it would matter how the number are arranged they all equal the same thing...yes?

beautifulmystery. · Answer

The dot over a number signifies that it is a repeater which would go on for ever, as when we endeavor to describe 1/3 decimally as 0.33333 . . . . (etc)
 With a series of numbers we place the dot over the first and last, as with 0.97979797979 . . . (etc)
 The remarkable feature being that a proper fraction divided by 9s e.g. 46/99 is exactly equal to the numerator with the repeater sign followed by the decimal.

anonymous · Answer

none of the numbers in the question seem to have a dot over them.

anonymous · Answer

They are spaced by them but that is all