We replied, after a little reflection, that it would take a long time, probably over six months.
With a triumphant air, the gold spectacles turned to our friend Nix. Nix, who is a pretty good accountant, thought it would take nearer six years than six months. One young lady, who was not good at figures, felt sure she could do it in a week. Gold Spectacles exhibited that intense satisfaction which the mathematical mind experiences when it has completely obfuscated the ordinary understanding.
"Why, sir," he said, turning to us, "had you been born on the same day as Adam, and had you been counting ever since, night and day, without stopping to eat, drink, or sleep, you would not have more than accomplished half your task."
This statement was received with a murmur of incredulous derision, whilst two or three financial gentlemen, immediately seizing pen and paper, began figuring it out, with the following result:
| 200 | Number counted per minute. |
| 60 | Minutes in an hour. |
| ——— | |
| 12000 | Number counted per hour. |
| 24 | Hours in a day. |
| ——— | |
| 48000 | |
| 24000 | |
| ——— | |
| 288000 | Number counted per day. |
| 365 | Days in the year. |
| ———— | |
| 1440000 | |
| 1728000 | |
| 864000 | |
| ————— | |
| 105120000 | Number counted per year. |
From this calculation we see that by counting steadily, night and day, at the rate of two hundred per minute, we should count something over one hundred and five millions in a year. Now let us proceed with the calculation:
| 105,12(0,000) | 1,000,000,00(0,000(9,512 years. |
| 94,608 | |
| ———— | |
| 53,920 | |
| 52,550 | |
| ———— | |
| 13,600 | |
| 10,512 | |
| ———— | |
| 30,880 | |
| 21,024 | |
| ——— | |
| 9,856 |
So that it would take nine thousand five hundred and twelve years, not to mention several months, to count a billion. Gold Spectacles chuckled visibly, and for the rest of the evening gave himself airs more worthy of a conquered Southerner than a victorious mathematician. He afterwards swooped down upon and completely doubled up a pompous gentleman bearing the cheerful name of Peter Coffin, for making use of the very proper phrase, "As clear as a mathematical demonstration."
"That may not be very clear, after all, Mr. Coffin," said Gold Spectacles.
"How is that, Mr. Sprawl (Gold Specks' proper name being Sprawl); can anything be clearer than a mathematical demonstration?"