This one weird trick will get you infinite gold - Dan Finkel

Translator: pablo soutullo parada Reviewer: traduceTED USC

Well, you're in a real pickle.

Estás nun apertarrabos.

You see, a few years ago, the king decided your life would be forfeit

Como ves, hai un par de anos, o rei decidiu que perderías a vida

unless you tripled the gold coins in his treasury.

a non ser que triplicases as moedas de ouro do seu tesouro.

Fortunately for you, a strange little man appeared

Por sorte para ti, apareceu un homiño estraño

and magically performed the feat.

e, maxicamente, realizou a fazaña.

He placed handfuls of coins in and out of a magical bag,

Meteu puñados de moedas dentro e fóra da súa bolsa máxica

and sang a strange rhyme:

e cantou unha estraña rima:

“The more gold goes in and more comes out, as sure as I am me.

“Canto máis ouro entra, máis ouro sae, tan seguro como que eu son eu.

And in again, and out again, and now it’s it times three!”

Dentro de novo, fóra de novo e o triplo apareceu!”.

Incredibly, that tripled the coins and saved your life.

Incriblemente, triplicou as moedas e salvouche a vida.

Were you grateful? Yes. Were you desperate? Yes.

Estabas agradecida? Si. Estabas desesperada? Si.

Did you promise him your first-born child in exchange for his help? Yes.

Prometiches darlle o teu primoxénito a cambio da súa axuda? Tamén.

Fast forward to today.

Volvamos ao presente.

No sooner have you given birth to a beautiful baby boy

Nada máis parires un meniño fermoso,

than the little man shows up to claim his prize.

o homiño apareceu a reclamar o seu premio.

You cry and beg him not to take the baby.

Choraches e pedícheslle que non levase o bebé.

Softening, he begins, “If you can guess my name—”

Abrandándose, dixo: “Se dás adiviñado o meu nome…”

“Banach-Tarski?” you say. “It’s on the front of your shirt.”

“Banach-Tarski?”, dixeches. “Está na parte dianteira da túa camisa.”

“What! That won’t do. Aha. My bag,” he explains,

“Que? Isto non vale. Xa sei. A miña bolsa,” explica,

“increases the number of gold coins placed inside it in a very special way.

“aumenta o número de moedas de ouro que ten dentro dun xeito moi especial.

If I take any number of coins and place them in, more will come out.

Se collo calquera número de moedas e as meto, sairán máis.

And if I place those in the bag again,

E, se as volvo meter na bolsa,

the total that comes out will be three times whatever I began with.”

o total que sae será o triplo que o orixinal”.

He takes 13 coins and places them in the bag,

El colle 13 moedas e méteas na bolsa.

then removes the contents.

Logo, saca o contido.

“I’ve used the magic once, not twice,” he says.

“Só usei a miña maxia unha vez, non dúas,” di.

“Tell me how many coins are in my hand and I’ll have mercy.”

“Dime cantas moedas teño na man e apiadareime de ti”.

How many coins is he holding?

Cantas moedas leva?

Pause here to figure it out yourself. Answer in 3

[Pausa para adiviñalo. Resposta en: 3]

Answer in 2

[Resposta en: 2]

Answer in 1

[Resposta en: 1]

The bag’s magic works just like what in mathematics is called a “function,”

A bolsa funciona como o que, en matemáticas, chamamos función,

and it’s convenient in both cases to use an arrow to denote the transformation.

e é conveniente usar, en ambos os casos, unha frecha que denote transformación.

We can write what we know like this.

Podemos escribir o que xa sabemos desta forma.

We want to know what goes in this particular blank.

O que nos interesa é saber que vai neste oco en particular.

Maybe the bag just multiplies the number of coins by some number.

Pode que a bolsa só multiplique o número de moedas por algún número.

In that case, multiplying by that number twice

Nese caso, multiplicar por ese número dúas veces

would be the same as multiplying by 3,

debería ser o mesmo que multiplicar por 3,

which means the multiplier would be the square root of 3.

o que implica que o multiplicador ten que ser a raíz cadrada de 3.

That’s not a whole number, though.

Mais ese número non é enteiro.

And we don’t have bits of gold coins coming out of the bag.

e da bolsa non saen pebidas de ouro.

Something else is going on.

Aquí pasa algo máis.

Well, if filling in the blank between 13 and 39 is too hard,

Se encher o oco entre 13 e 39 é complicado de máis,

maybe we can start with something easier.

podemos probar con algo máis sinxelo.

Can we figure out what’ll happen to 1 coin?

Podemos predicir que pasará se metemos unha moeda?

If you use the bag on a single coin twice, you end up with triple;

Se empregamos a bolsa cunha soa moeda dúas veces, acabamos co triplo,

that’s three gold pieces.

que son tres pezas de ouro.

Because the bag always increases the number of gold coins,

Como a bolsa sempre incrementa o número de moedas de ouro,

the blank must be between 1 and 3, so 2.

o oco debe de estar entre 1 e 3, así que 2.

It’s a start. What’s next?

É un comezo. Que máis?

Let’s think about a few other possible starting places.

Imos pensar noutros posibles puntos de partida.

We already know 2 becomes 3

Sabemos que 2 se transforma en 3,

and that lets us fill in the next blank as well.

o que nos permite encher o seguinte oco tamén.

Now we’re getting somewhere!

Estamos avanzando!

We just need to extend this out to 13.

Só hai que estender isto ata o 13.

Remember the other rule, though:

Mais lembra a outra regra:

when you put more coins in, you get more coins out.

cantas máis moedas metes, máis moedas sacas.

That means the numbers in every column must go in increasing order as well.

Isto implica que os números de cada columna deben ir aumentando.

In other words, because 6 coins become 9,

Noutras palabras, como 6 se transforma en 9,

it’s not possible for 4 coins to become 10.

non é posible que 4 moedas se transformen en 10

Nor could 4 become 5, since 3 becomes 6.

nin que 4 se transformen en 5, xa que 3 convértense en 6.

So 7 and 8 fill those blanks on the right of 4 and 5,

Polo tanto, 7 e 8 enchen os ocos á dereita do 4 e do 5,

which in turn gives the answer for two more blanks.

o cal nos dá a resposta de dous ocos máis.

Knowing that the numbers go in increasing order in every column,

Sabendo que os números van en orde ascendente en todas as columnas,

the only choices for the remaining blanks are 19, 20, 22, and 23.

as únicas opcións para os seguintes ocos son 19, 20, 22 e 23.

And look! We have our answer!

Mira! Xa temos a nosa resposta!

There must be 22 gold coins in his hand.

Debe ter 22 moedas de ouro na man

“I’ll give you three guesses,” the little man begins to say.

“Douche tres intentos”, di o homiño.

“22 coins,” you respond.

“Vinte e dúas moedas”, respondes.

“What?! How did you know?”

“Que?! Como o adiviñaches?”.

“I enjoy a good riddle,” you say. “Also, it’s on the back of your shirt.”

“Gústanme os crebacabezas”, dis. “Ademais, telo escrito nas costas”.