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1995a.00269 Guy, R.K. The strong law of small numbers. Guy, R.K. et al., The lighter side of mathematics. The Mathematical Association of America, Washington (ISBN 0-88385-516-X). 265-280 (1994). 1994 The Mathematical Association of America, Washington EN F60 This paper is in two parts. In the first, 35 examples are given of patterns which seem to appear for small values of n in situations, most of them number-theoretic, which are dependent on n. The reader is asked to decide whether each pattern persists for all n or only occurs because of the small values of n which are used. In the second part of the paper the author discusses each example in some detail giving answers and references in so far as he is able. In most cases the pattern does not persist, thus leading the author to formulate his theorem, 'You can't tell by looking'.