Food unlimited

This is not so much about math this time.

Four months ago, I spent some time in Infinite Series which is a common topic in Calculus books. Consider this series:


The first term is 1, the second is one-half, then one-fourth and so on. The next term is always one-half of the previous term. A mathematician can tell us that this never ends. As the series progresses, the terms become smaller and smaller but not exactly zero at the end.

This time, consider the poverty alleviation and food sufficiency program of the Philippines. If Mang Pandoy is given a kilogram of rice, by the logic of this infinite series, he may have unlimited food forever! All he has to do is not to eat all the one kilogram rice at once. Following the infinite series, he has to eat only ½ kilogram rice during the first day. Therefore, at the end of first day, he still has the remaining ½ kilogram rice. On the second day, he has to eat, again only half of what has remained after the first day which is one-half. In doing so, he will save ¼ kilogram of rice at the end of the second day. Remember, he ate only half of ½ kilogram rice. By just eating half of what remains the previous day, he can't run out of rice forever!

Food in every table looks like attainable after all! Even better, make that unlimited food for all.

Isn't this concept worth presenting to the Department of Agriculture and Malacanang?

Ok, back to reality.

Now, you know what can happen to the thoughts of a student who has more of math and less of a meal.