ATOMS VERSUS CARDS
Dear HIW,
I was on holiday with a friend and got into a heated discussion. He claimed that there are more possible ways to shuffle a pack of cards than there are atoms in the Earth. Is this true? Can you explain to me how this is possible as I just can’t believe it.
Ben Chapman
Thanks for your letter, Ben. We hate to tell you, but in this instance your friend was correct. This is a difficult fact to get your head around as the huge
