The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-10
Ct. P.'s Weekly.)

A pack of cards! This is a COM
mon enough object surely. II would
tax the resources of even the ablest
calculator to estimate the amount of
time which has been spent by men
and women in eagerly watching the
varying chances OF gain or loss or
maybe merely of amusement. due to
the multitudinous combinations Of
these fifty-tWO pieces of colored PASTE
board.
But however keen the players may
be, especially when a large sum Of
money is at stake, in their endeavor
to judge correctly the chances of any
particular line of play, it remains a
fact that the total possible number of
combinations of this comparatively
small number of cards is so vast that
theory covering all cases even h
the attempt is aided by classifying the
cases.
AS n instance Of this, the fairly
wcll-known fact may be mentioned
that in a game like whist or bridge.
where each player receives a hand of
thirteen cards, selected from the fifty
two, the total possible number Of diff
ferent hands which may thus be Sc
lected is greater than 900, 600, 900, 900.
The exact number is 635,013, $4,000.
This number, however, large though
it may appear, becomes not merely
small, but absolutely invisible when
compared with the total number of ar
rangements in which tho fifty-two
cards may ne placed after the shuttle.
To quote the whole of this number
would take TOO much space, but it may
be mentioned that it begins with
eighty followed by sixty-siN other fig
urcS.
1t is probably a quite hopeless task
to attempt to enable any one to grasp
the conception of the real meaning of
such a number. but some idea Cat
presented by mean of the following
calculations:
Let us suppose that 1000, 900 of
human beings (each supplied with a
pack Of cards) We're to attempt actu-
ally to produce every possible ar
rangement Of the fifty-two cards. 1t
is further to he supposed that they
work ccaselessly, without rest day or
night, from years end to years end,
at the rate of one new arrangement
per second for each person during a
period Of 10000 years.
1t should be noted that the entire
population of the earth today is esti-
mated to be in the n~eighborhood of
LOCO. 900. O00. The hypothesis from
which we start is therefore that a
population one quarter more than that
which now exists has spent its whole
time during an interval more than
fifty times the duration of the Chris
tian era in shutting cards at the rate
than $1,000. 900 shuffles in each year
per head. In View of such figures the
reader may we'll ask how many times
the total number Of arrangements will
have been produced by this vast
mount Of sustained Though ill-di-
rected) human effort. The answer is
not once.
Calculation proves. in fact, that the
number of card arrangements pro-
duced under the conditions ed
will only be a minute fraction of the
total possible NUMBER fraction so
minute, in fact. that it becomes neces-
sary TO devise another scheme of con
crete representation in order to give
an idea of its minuteness.
Let it be assumed that the whole
vast number of arrangements pro-
duced by the human race as above is
symbolized by one drop of water.
CURED to symbolic the total number
possible? If this question il put to
the reader he might we'll say. Sure
~ a glass of water would be enough!''
But no.. "a bathful of water, then"
No. "A large reservoir" No, my
friend, YOU must never reach the
truth. THE Atlantic ocean, then ?
The number of drops in that will sure
ly be sufficient"
But the number OF drops Of water
in the Atlantic ocean is not sufficient,
nor will 1t become so. even when we
add to the Atlantic ocean the Pacific
and all h other oceans, seas, lakes
and. in fact, all the rest of the water
on our globe. Nor would the whole
earth. made from center to surface
entirely Of water, be sufficient, nor
would the whole sun similarly consti-
tuted suffice. Incredible though it