Land of Ramanujam

Today I came to know all school dropouts are not unintelligent, especially those who are from the Land of Ramanujam.

‘Petrol, Four hundred’ was what I said. I knew thoroughly, I was loud and clear. Honestly, not very surprised, I saw him fill a hundred and wait – not hanging the gun.  I repeated ‘Four Hundred’. He tried fiddle some digits on the panel, but got ‘preset denied’ for an answer. Started filling again (from where he had left), stopped at three hundred. I said again ‘Four Hundred’, to which he said he had already filled a hundred and now a three hundred. I was firm, said ‘I was watching all the while, I needed four hundred’.  Making out from my eyes and voice, that I am not going to let go (to me – at least not this time), he filled another hundred. I paid him through my card. It was obvious his looks were the most unfriendly ones. While one part of my mind said, you may complain; the other said – I wouldn’t be able to prove anything; also, since the matter is already settled – I got what I wanted/bought.

On my ride after that, I was counting on why just hundred and why not more, or less.  What all permutations can be applied for say, the sample here being four hundred.

One hundred to earn (steal), is the only option for a four hundred. For the convenience of escape with statement – ‘I heard’ it __ hundred, we may have to maintain multiples of hundred.  Now some math, One hundred fill would leave two hundred for the next fill making it Three hundred on the display, so as to say – you already got ‘a hundred’.  Same will not go with ‘two hundred’ as he must start over again from ‘zero’. ‘Three hundred’ cannot yield anything for him. For a sample of ‘five hundred’, ‘two hundred’ is possible – but with more probability of getting caught. I needed some time to understand the whole thing of how this works.  This is in spite of at least two incidents where I was sure I had lost, but could not nail the person.

Maybe, I am taking the name of the Genius of Maths for wrong people, but, I am sure, from the land of Ramanujam, this Lawrence is no less.