THE CHESS INVENTOR'S REWARD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2182, 25 July 1889, Page 2

THE CHESS INVENTOR'S REWARD

■ .. ■ An eminent Indian mathematloW named Seffa is Bald to have invented the game of ooess for the amaaement of his loyal master. Tae P in*, m the US; 1.1 style of Eastern oatenwtion, desirod him to aik some reward odecaate to hia lugeuuity, and worthy the moa.fi ones of a king, Seff» rtqaired on»y a quantity of wheat, equal to the number ot graino arising from the suooesalve doubling ot a single grain for the first equate of the oheaa board, two for the oeoond and so on, doubling each prodnot to the aixty-fonrtta aqaate, and addiDg all the product! together. When the qaantiiy of wheat thna arlalng itaa oomploted, it waa found to exceed all that Aela or eveu the who c earth oould prodooe m one year. Thla qneatlon may be aolved by multiplication and addltloß, but more expedloualy by geometrical progreaeion by thla met bod: It appears that the number of grains of wheat amount to 18,446,744.073,709,551,615, Allowing 9216 grama to- an Bngiiaa plat, the quantity la buahela ia eaatly oalou lated. For 9216 moltiplied by 8 gives 73.728 grama In a gallon, and that by" 8 gives 539,824 grains m a btubel- Dividing the original number by this last, we have 31,274,997,412,295 for the uamber of bnsbela. Now if 30 buahela ba the arerage product of an aovd m a year, It requires 1,042.499,913743 acres to produoe as many buahela, or about eight tlmeß tbesprfaon of the globe.