• f314@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      I have no idea about the meme format (though I see this is a cross post from anti memes), but the picture is a reference to a famous legend about exponential growth:

      Allegedly, the inventor of chess asked the ruler of India (where it was invented) for payment in the form of rice, with a single grain in the first square and the amount doubling for each subsequent square. The ruler agreed, believing the amount to be small, but soon found out there was not enough rice in India to pay the man.

    • hOrni@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      I don’t get it either. If I had to guess, I’d say there’s Loss hidden there somewhere.

    • Manjushri@piefed.social
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      10 days ago

      Person who knows asks the person who doesn’t know to pay them in grains of rice by putting a grain of rice on one square of a chess board and double it for each other square. So one in the first, two in the second, four in the third, etc. So 1 doubled 64 times. The one who don’t understand thinks they’re getting a deal and it’ll end up as a modest amount of rice. The one who does understand knows that the total will be 1.8x1019 grains of rice on the board. Hence they are both smiling… at first.

      For reference, assuming an average grain of rice is 5 millimeters long, laying all that rice end-to-end would stretch 9.75 light years.

      • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
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        10 days ago

        Ohhh it’s an “at first” take? Thats kinda not how the meme works. I know the whole story, but that would normally have one person smiling, the other not.