Googol

 

Going by daily activities I do not feel that I have reached mid seventies agewise, still keeping the vigour of youth in learning, reading and other activities in day to day life.  One of recently acquired skill is competing in the spellbee contest published by the New York Times.  Joined as an enthusiast some months back the puzzle attracted me. Initially it allowed me to fill the puzzle and as days progressed put conditions for filling, by withdrawing the facility asking me to subscribe by paying the news paper subscription annually.  


The subscription being prohibitive I restrained myself by seeing only the synopsis given in the email version.  Later they started offering concessional monthly offer on trial basis and I opted for 3 months subscription and started filling the puzzles ritually.  Thus earlier practice of doing the crossword puzzle in the Hindu daily has become secondary.


Daily hooking into the spellbee puzzle attracted my grandson Arya, who is into the IV standard now.  He used to grab the mobile from me and used to fill in one or two words which I have missed by oversight.  The grades in the puzzle is instantly displayed in the report card showing as 'great' 'amazing' etc.  Four times report card was shown as 'Genius' the ultimate score in spellbee.


Yesterday I was doing the puzzle after completing all words in my arsenal, unable to move high after a certain level.  My grandson who has come here to have the general tuition from his grandma, a retired teacher, grabbed the mobile from me and filled two new words.  One of the word is 'googol' which was not heard before. Astonished I asked him the meaning of the word.  He said it is the sum higher than infinity.  I searched the google: it said it is 10 followed by hundred 0 that is 10 to the power of hundred. And final score genius again.


Nobody has taught him, but he acquired this knowledge by scrolling the mobile from his mom and dad whenever it is free.



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