CHRISTMAS CALCULATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHRISTMAS CALCULATIONS.

Taking advantage of: a-. five seconds' pause, the mathematical fiend of the party suddenly asked: i

By the way, can anyone say how < many different ways the fifty-two cards " ma pack can be distributed amongst four whist-players?"

The company looked somewhat alarmed, and gave no answer. '

"They can be distributed in-53 644 737 , 765,488,792,839,237,440,000 different- ways! Isn't that extraordinary ? And now, can anyone tell me this? In a game of whist in which the dealer turns up the last card as trumps, what is the probability of his holding all the thirteen trumps?" Depression grew. "The chances are 158,753,389.899 to 1 against his doing so! 'You would never believe it, would you.? By the way, can anyone say what the cribbage score would thAtf ? yer held a hand including all the fifty- cards?" 8

Reckoning in the ordinary way—fifteens, pairs, runs, and flushes onlv only runs or flushes of thirteen to count—the full score would be 872,449,968. Anyone want to check it?" ' J

Nobody wanted to. „;ll I j- h -? W many erent ways can the mne digits, Ways in their proper order, be made to represent 100, using only the signs plus and minus?" . ... The company began to get restless. "Well, this question was asked in the inbune on November 21, 1906, and only fi7+RQ an 1 SW I we % h > en > viz: 123-45-67+89=100; and .123+45-67+8-9=loo j * have ~ «>«*&" working on -the puzzle, and 1 have found six more ways in which *,™ ,*» done. This- is one: 1^ +4 ~, 5+S9=loo - And *Ws is another: 1+2+34-5+67-B+9=loo. " Now, here's something that will beat you absolutely hollow. What is the smallest integral square" number in which au the nine digits occur once and once

# %* the next moment he found himself in the street, and" it was only a passing policeman who heard him murmur: " 139,854,276-that is, 11,826 squared.