Physical Amusements and Diverting Experiments / Composed and Performed in Different Capitals of Europe, and in London

by Giuseppe Pinetti

CHAP. XXXI.

To guess, by smelling, which has been the Number struck out by a Person in the Company, in the Product of a Multiplication given him to do.

Propose to a person of the company to multiply, by whatever number he pleases, one of the three sums which you will give him on a piece of paper; desire him to strike out whatever figure he pleases of the product of his multiplication, let him change and invert the order of the remaining figures after the defalcation he has chosen.

While the person is making his calculation and the subsequent operations, go in another room: when you are told you may return, desire the person who has done the multiplication, to give you the remaining product on a piece of paper or card; put it to your nose as though you would smell it; then you will tell him, to the great astonishment of the whole Company, what figure he had struck out.

In order to do this operation, first observe, that the figures composing each of the three sums you propose to be multiplied, do not exceed the number of 18.