09/10/2026
Every single time you shuffle a standard deck of cards, you are holding an order of reality that has likely never existed before in the entire history of the universe. š¤Æ
Here is what happens when you calculate 52! (52 factorial):
There are 80,658,175,170,943,878,571,660,636,856,403,766,975,289,505,440,883,277,824,000,000,000,000 possible ways to arrange 52 cards. That is an 8 followed by 67 zeros.
To put that into perspective:
Set a timer to count down from 52! seconds.
Stand on the equator and take one step every 1 billion years.
When you finally circle the entire Earth, remove one drop of water from the Pacific Ocean.
Repeat that until the entire Pacific Ocean is bone dry.
Then take one sheet of paper and place it on the ground.
Refill the ocean, walk around the Earth again one step every billion years, empty it drop by drop, and add another sheet of paper to your stack.
By the time your paper stack is tall enough to reach the sun... your timer will still have 99.99999999% of the time left.
Next time you pick up a deck and give it a thorough shuffle, remember: youāre creating an arrangement that has never been seen, and will almost certainly never be seen again.
