SPORTING AND SCIENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1071, 9 May 1882, Page 4

SPORTING AND SCIENCE.

Mr Proctor, whose lectures on astronomy will be remembered with pleasure by many of our readers has recently started in London a weekly publication called “ Knowledge,” an illustrated magazine of science, plainly worded—exactly described. In the number for December 16 he commences a series of papers on betting and mathematics, and he thus pleasantly discourses about a New Zealand betting man : —“ A curious instance of the loss of all sense of honor, or of honesty which betting begets occurred to me when 1 was in New Zealand. A book-maker —“ by profession,” as he said—as genial and good natured a man as one would eare to meet, and with a strong sense of right and jusI tice outside betting, had learned somehow that ten horses can come in—apart from dead heat —in 3,628,000 different ways. This curious piece of information seemed to him an admirable way of getting money from the inexperienced. So he began to wagers about it endeavoring— tuough it will be seen he failed—to win money by wagering on a certainty. Unfortunately he early came across a man as 'cute as himself, and perhaps a shade ’cuter, who worded the question on which the wager turns thus :—“ In how many ways can ten horses be placed ?” Of course this is a very different thing. Only the first three horses can be placed, and the set of three which can be made out of ten horses number only ten times nine times eight, or 720 (there are only 120 actual sets of three, but each set can be placed in six different ways). My genial, but (whatever bethought himself) not quite honest friend, submitted the matter to me. Not noticing at first the technical use of the word ‘ placed,’ I told him there were 3,628,000 different arrangements. He rejoiced as though the money wagered were already in his pocket. When this was corrected, and I told him his opponent had certainly won as the question would be understood by betting men, he was at first depressed, but presently recovering he said “ Ah 1 well, I shall win more out of this little trick, now I see through it, than I lose this time.”