I understand the math behind it, I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that something so common and limited like a deck of cards can have more ways to be arranged than something so massive like the earth with all its oceans and mountains has atoms.
In my mind it would make more sense that even a little pond has more atoms than there are deck arrangements.
Could it be due to the fact that atoms have a lot of empty space in them?
In: 318
You’ve got 52 ways to arrange a deck by only changing the first card in the pile.
But for each of those 52 ways, there’s 51 ways to arrange the second card. 52×51 = 2,652 ways to arrange the deck with just the first two card positions.
The third card gives 50 more options. 2,652×50 = 132,000.
Fourth card: 132,000 x 49 = almost 6.5 million.
Fifth card: 6.5 million x 48 = 312 million.
6th card: 312 million x 47 gets you close to 15 billion.
15 billion options only 6 cards in. Now keep going for all 52.
That’s how.
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