You must log in or register to comment.
Depends on how the song is interpreted. The intention is probably “by the 𝑛ᵗʰ day of Christmas, my true love had given to me [list of 𝑛+(𝑛–1)+…1 items]” but the actual grammar means that by day 12, you’d have received 𝑛(13–𝑛) of the 𝑛ᵗʰ item, or
- 12 drummers drumming
- 22 pipers piping
- 30 lords-a leaping
- 36 ladies dancing
- 40 maids a-milking
- 42 swans a-swimming
- 42 geese a-laying
- 40 gold rings
- 36 calling birds
- 30 French hens
- 22 turtle doves
- 12 partriges in pear trees
Total is 184 birds. By day 7, only 69 birds, up 50 % from 46 by day 6. At least the number of received birds stays constant (23) on days 8-12. The geese technically-a-reproducing are not accounted for, as the eggs might not be fertilized and take several weeks to hatch.
Also explored in an awesome video by Vihart: YouTube/Piped/Vimeo
this is why i come to lemmy