Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 114, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1913 — THINGS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN [ARTICLE]

THINGS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN

TAousam/s of Changee Can Be Rang on Eight • ■ ■■ BeUe-'-Honee In Race. - ri „ -

How many people realise the number of ways in which it is possible for some of the commonest every-day events of life to happen? London Answers asks. As you walk through the streets of your town, for example, and hear the chimes of your parish church bells, has It ever occurred to you to think out how many “changes” can be rung with a “peal” of eight bells? The answer is 40,320, a number which seems almost Incredible, but non* the lees is true. Ten horses run in a race. The number of ways in which the first, second and third places can be filled Is 720, while the, number of ways in which all ten horses can pass the winning post Is the enormous number 3,627,800. A town council is composed of twenty-five councillors and ten aidermen. From it It is possible to form 5,275,600 different committees, each composed of five councillors and three aidermen. Eight people could arrange themselves about a round table In 5,040 different ways, and if six persons receive a first-class railway carriage having six seats they could choose from among 700 different ways of seating themselves. A little girl has ten different beads to make Into a necklace. She could do it 181.290 times and get a different necklace each time. If wo wish to make a selection of six books out of an available twelve, wo have the choice of 924 ways In which to do it, while If wo have the following coins—halfpenny, penny, sixpenny piece, shilling, florin, and half crown—wo can ar-

range them in a straight line in 720 different ways. Try it! Finally, it would take 5,000 years for a man earning £2OO a year to earn £1,000,000, while if a person invested £1 at 5 per cent compound interest he would become a millionaire —could ho live so long—in 283 years.