Math Monday: One Grain

 

In honour of Diwali celebrations this week, we took a page from A Year Full of Stories, for one of our favourite matematical folktales, 'The Raja and the Rice'. Demi also writes a version of this folktale for Chinese culture called 'One Grain.'

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After winning a chess game to the Raja, a poor man is awarded anything he wishes. His simple wish of one grain of rice to be doubled each day, turns into quite the stores. He uses his winnings to fill hungry villagers pantries.

We played this out with real grains, to see how quickly doubling happens!