Some people waste their lives, but others dedicate their time to a cause: like disputing the commonly held belief that the number of ways to combine six two-by-four studded Lego bricks of the same colour is 102,981,500. And proving that it is actually 915,103,765. (They could do permutations for 25 bricks, but with the current efficiency of their computer programs they estimate that it would take something like 130,881,177,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years to compute the correct number. Of course, after 5,000,000,000 years they would have to move their computer out of the Solar system, as the sun is expected to become a red giant at about that time.)
They might not be book smart, but the guys at Zip Zip also live their lives through plastic toy bricks. Edmund and the team have been conquering the world with Lego-shaped USBs for a while, but now they're taking it a step further.
Glow in the dark.
No kidding. Give these things a couple of minutes plugged into your 'puter and they'll pulse with a weird green light for hours. Feel free to debate possible combinations until the sun implodes - you'll still find your keys in the bottom of your PacMan backpack. These are brand new, like weeks old, so get them while they're glowing hot. Thanks to Zip Zip we also have one to give away. To enter, just answer the following question.
This week's question:
The number of ways to combine six two-by-four studded lego bricks of the same colour is...
a) 102,981,500
b) 915,103,765
c) More subtle estimates can be given to show that the growth lies between 78N and 191N
d) What lego? Someone turned out the lights.
To be in the running send your answer AND postal address to
win@fourthousand.com.au. Winners will be notified by email. Subscriber only entry. Not a subscriber? It's free you guys!
