Count Sandini calls himself the greatest "Sand Counter" in the world. Show him a bucket filled of sand, and in a few seconds he will tell you how many grains of sand are there!

Can you devise a (fairly quick) test to prove whether he can actually do so, or if he's a fraud?

Go to the kitchen, and prepare two recipients. In the first one put some sand from the bucket, and then introduce what you want, f. ex., chick-peas or biscuits for at least half the volume of the recipient. Cover it with sand, so that Sandine is not able to see that inside the recipient there is something different than sand. In the other recipient put only sand, getting full for a similar volume. 

Now, you can ask Sandini what is the number of sand grains of both recipients (without allowing him to touch them).

If he answer two similar numbers, more or less, he is obviously a fraud. Otherwise, if he is able to guess that the first recipient conteins a much lesser number of grains... well he is to consider seriously with more accurate tests.

Edited on April 12, 2005, 11:16 am

Edited on April 12, 2005, 2:43 pm

Posted by armando on 2005-04-07 19:35:13