Arithmetical Amusements

The ratio to 31 figures can easily be remembered by learning the following very ingenious French quatrain, or four-lined stanza, in which it will be noticed that the number of letters in each word corresponds to the figures taken in order:

Que j’aime à faire apprendre un nombre utile aux sages.

(3 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 5 3 5)

Immortel Archimède, artiste ingénieur,

(8 9 7 9)

Qui de ton jugement peut priser la valeur?

(3 2 3 8 4 6 2 6)

Pour moi, ton problem eut de pareils avantages.

(4 3 3 8 3 2 7 9)