The 12 Days of Christmas For Math Nerds

(Please correct me if I screw up!)

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A partridge in a pear tree

By the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

2 turtle doves and 2 partridges in 2 pear trees

By the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

3 french hens, 4 turtle doves and 3 partridges in 3 pear trees

By the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

4 calling birds, 6 french hens, 6 turtle doves, and 4 partridges in 4 pear trees

By the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

5 golden rings

8 calling birds, 9 french hens, 8 turtle doves and 5 partridges in 5 pear trees

By the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

6 geese-a-laying

10 golden rings

12 calling birds, 12 french hens, 10 turtle doves and 6 partridges in 6 pear trees

By the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

7 swans-a-swimming, 12 geese-a-laying

15 golden rings

16 calling birds, 15 french hens, 12 turtle doves and 7 partridges in 7 pear trees

By the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

8 maids-a-milking, 14 swans-a-swimming, 18 geese-a-laying,

20 golden rings

20 calling birds, 18 french hens, 14 turtle doves and 8 partridges in 8 pear trees

By the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....

9 ladies dancing, 16 maids-a-milking, 21 swans-a-swimming, 24 geese-a-laying

25 golden rings

24 calling birds, 21 french hens, 16 turtle doves and 9 partridges in 9 pear trees

By the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

10 lords-a-leaping, 18 ladies dancing, 24 maids-a-milking, 28 swans-a-swimming, 30 geese-a-laying

30 golden rings

28 calling birds, 24 french hens, 18 turtle doves, and 10 partridges in 10 pear trees

By the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

11 pipers piping, 20 lords-a-leaping, 27 ladies dancing, 32 maids-a-milking, 35 swans-a-swimming, 36 geese-a-laying,

35 golden rings

32 calling birds, 27 french hens, 20 turtle doves and 11 partridges in 11 pear trees

By the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

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 golden rings

36 calling birds, 30 french hens, 22 turtle doves

and 12 parrrrrrtridges in 12 pear treeeeeeeees!

Aaaahh, I get it! :3

This graduate student in mathematics awards the Seal of Approval(tm)

:D

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edited 24th Dec '11 2:07:48 PM by DarkConfidant

I just put this on the Made Of Win forum thread. It deserves such an honor.

Wow, thanks! :D

Merry Christmas, e'erbody!

Mort, you ninja.

I wanted to do that as well.

The numbers are impressive. The words just seem random.

Joyful read ma'am. ^_^

Y'know, The 12 Days Of Christmas?

Funny.

I don't get it... :/

That's because you fail at being a math nerd.

I hate math, actually. I thought maybe I could figure it out, though, and then it was all like, "whoa, my head is full of fuck."

*draws it out*

Neat-o. :D

I should make mention that I checked the numbers, and unless I screwed up somewhere, all the numbers do check out correctly.

And according to some organization that does that sort of study, the cost of all 12 days (that last line) is something like $101,000. Apparently, someone out there is interested in keeping track of the cost of the holidays from year to year.

edited 25th Dec '11 6:47:49 AM by DarkConfidant

@USAF: Assuming my own knowledge has not failed me, they're arithmetic series. On each consecutive day, the singer receives one more partridge and pear tree, two more turtle doves, three more french hens, four more calling birds, and so on.

Exactly! One way to interpret the song seems to suggest that, but the song itself never totaled up how many of each they had by the end of the each day.

I was thinking about this just the other day! You rock, man!

And I was just thinking of adding these things all up and seeing how many you'd have by the end of the 12 days. Now I don't have to! Thanks, man!

Someone's gonna need a mop and bucket, that's a lot of bird shit.