හැදින්වීම Intro.

අපේ පැරණි ක්‍රීඩාවකි A mathematical wonder

Here is an activity, which you can perform with your friends. You may enjoy it. Take 30 buttons (some things similar) of two colours. Say 15 in one colour (white) the other 15 in another colour. (black) Arrange them in a circular row, as shown in the diagram. Start counting clockwise from the asterisk marked button in the direction as indicated by an arrow. When it comes to 9th button, stop and remove it. Proceed fresh counting ahead, starting next, from one again. Repeat so round. Mind in every fresh counting,, the 9th button will always have to be removed. When counting so, 15 times, you will wonder, the black buttons will disappear from tile circular row. Let us see how this knowledge had been used to get rid of sinners from an ancient ship to avoid sinking without much havoc. An old ship with a crew of 30 was about to sink due to the weight of 15 sinners. Although the captain knew the sinners personally, any compulsion to a selected group was not just and fair. He thought. So he arranged all sailors to stand- round as shown in the diagram. The sinners were given positions at the black dots in secrecy. The rule was, when counting, every 9th sailor should jump in to sea for which all agreed to save the ship. 15 rounds of counting, led all sinners to jump in to the sea. No sinner was left on deck, there after. The ship and the rest of the crew sailed, safe to their destination. There are Laws, Theorems, Corollaries, Axioms, Formulae etc in mathematics. Under what category does this numerical setting fall? An explanation is welcome. Further, wish to let know readers, the above facts at figures are extracted from two old Sinhala Verses under the heading Yon Marilla.