The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-07-14
LUCK, CHANCE
AND HOW
THEY WORK
Humorous Computations Made
by the Walters at Ell Reno.
ILLUSTRATED BY CARDS
Is the Winning Number Fore
ordained or Not2

OF the drawing is the arithmeucal side OF
it.
Two men went into a book store here
today and looked hungTfly through the
shelves for an old arithmetic. They
couldn't find it. They took down a new
edition of an arithmetic and looked
through it hopelessly and went out again.
One Of the men said: when I was a
boy there was a chapter towards the end
Of my arithmetic which was called:
Chance" 1t gave the laws OF chance
and the mathematical progression in
which it occurs. am sure it Is in the old
arithmetics. But the new ones say moth
ing about it. In connection with the
drawing. I think it would be very inter-
esting. But you can't find an arithmetic
with it in"
Occasionally you VIII find men in dis
putes over the m2Eematical side OF the
drawing, for it has as mathematical as
pect.
A man explained this last night 10 an
interested group. Assuming that in the
FL Reno district there VIII be 5000 reg
istery envelopes and that 1000 envelopes
covering quarters available are to be
drawn, he took two cards, a king and
a queen, and said: ct can deal these out
two ways; first the king. then the queen;
and again first the queen, then the king
Now let me add the jack. can deal
them out six different ways, so: ~ Jack.
king, queen; o. jack. queen. king; g.
king, queen. jack: az king, jack. queen;
90 queen, king, Jack; 90 queen, jack.
king.
The man with the cards stopped and
laughed and said: Now watch me deal
out four cards"
He proceeded to deal them out in six
teen different ways.
Now. gentlemen" he continued. eff
I had fifty thousand different cards
could deal them out, or better they could
be dealt out. in the course of several CEN
turtles (and he took out a piece of paper
he had made the computation on) IN six
hundred and ninety decillions. four hund-
red and ninety-five nonillions two hundred
and forty-five octillions. seven hundred
and twenty septillions. two hundred and
twenty sextillions, two hundred and fir
teten quintillions. one hundred and ten
quatrillions. FIVE trillions. seven hundred
and sixty billions. four hundred millions.
four thousand two hNndred and sixty-fve
different ways
Lets see what it looks like" asked the
group.
The man handed over the paper IN
which the figures were written out:
500 495 245 72O 22O 2l5. III. $500 7so 400. ooi go
A man in the group put his hand 10 his
and said:
Observation-Disclosures. There amt no chance
at all. I'm sorry registered At all"
i thought a man had one chance in
ten" said another gloomily.
Now. as matter Of fact said he
man with the cards. 'the chance Of draw
ing viii vary every minute OF the draw
ing. Let me illustrate that: Say in the
Ell Reno district there are 5000 envel-
opes in the box and 700 claims 10 be
drawn. Suppose $500 men had drawn
and there was left one farm vet to be
drawn. There would be left IN the box
g, oo1 names. Now al these men would
have. not one chance IN ten Of drawing
q farm. but one chance in 1900 OF draw I
Ing one. So in the course Of the draw /
ing every envelope which is taken from 1
the box reduces the percentage Of those I
in the box. For instance, after /
number one IS drawn there will 4
remain in the box stu 4, $50 envelopes.
Dut there viii be only se99 farms. After /
600 envelopes are withdrawn there viii 4
be 5000 envelopes stin IN the box. and (
here VIII be but 2.o19 farms left Speak /
ng Of chances and percentages. at the I
beginning every man on these figures viii /
nave apparently one chance in seven;
vhen 5oo0 have drawn. every man VIII
lave one chance IN twenty-five"
Much greater interest is taken IN TIRE
manner of the shaking nj OF the euvel-
,pes than IN anything else Everybody
Who has registered IS anxious thar the
ENVELOPES should be shaken Up hard.
Another curious argument was made
.v a man Yesterday while sitting IN a ho-
a. He said. Vow. ~ Won VII think ~
? Il Is not the man who wins. IL is tho
nvclope. purely ard simply. A man goes (
1to the booth and registers. a card bear
~ his name and description is made
he man walks ont. the card remains
he card IS pvt fnt0 m envelope. From
hat moment the matter ~ winning ~
1sine is inherent IN that envelope tts
ian whose name 70 bears has nothing 20
o witch t. The envelope wiz 70 through
e-tain movements f1 Ire career e. cor1a ]
ri win without then. Tt ne say that
he winning card was r111e oGf ten rair- .
ties after O'Clock last ThgrBdey. Vow
Thar card rcd been made out hfteer G
,inutes after O'Clock II would rot ~f1
would miss the movements the Hard (
~. better. the career ~ TIRE card which 4 8
III vin- Everyone Who has rsadias the e
lresr q luanin1sfe objects rir u-d-r-