BIRDS.

Facelikeapotato@lemmy.ml to Lemmy Shitpost@lemmy.world – 811 points –
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Depends on how the song is interpreted. The intention is probably β€œby the 𝑛ᡗʰ day of Christmas, my true love had given to me [list of 𝑛+(𝑛–1)+...1 items]” but the actual grammar means that by day 12, you'd have received 𝑛(13–𝑛) of the 𝑛ᡗʰ item, or

  • 12 drummers drumming
  • 22 pipers piping
  • 30 lords-a leaping
  • 36 ladies dancing
  • 40 maids a-milking
  • 42 swans a-swimming
  • 42 geese a-laying
  • 40 gold rings
  • 36 calling birds
  • 30 French hens
  • 22 turtle doves
  • 12 partriges in pear trees

Total is 184 birds. By day 7, only 69 birds, up 50 % from 46 by day 6. At least the number of received birds stays constant (23) on days 8-12. The geese technically-a-reproducing are not accounted for, as the eggs might not be fertilized and take several weeks to hatch.

Also explored in an awesome video by Vihart: YouTube/Piped/Vimeo

Oh damn I did not know Vihart was still going! Tis a good day.

Curse you Carl Friedrich Gauss and your distribution! Is there no escape?!?

It’s a parabola actually, the function is –𝑛²+13𝑛.

The reason Gauss is mentioned in Vihart’s video is that he famously invented the formula for triangular numbers.

does each maid come with a cow (or goat) they are milking? within a month (35 days) some of those goose eggs will hatch too.

I would be so happy to receive 42 geese. It gives a really healthy head start to my goose army.