ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Knuth reward check

Okay kiddo, sometimes people do things that are really cool and everyone wants to say thank you to them. One way to say thank you is with a prize or a reward.

Well, there is a really smart man named Donald Knuth who did something really cool! He made a computer program that helps solve problems in math and computer science. A lot of people love and use this program, so they wanted to say thank you to Mr. Knuth.

They came up with an idea called the "Knuth reward check." It's like a big thank you note that comes with a lot of money! The check is for $2.56, which is kind of a weird number, but it's special. You see, Mr. Knuth really cares about being precise and accurate, so $2.56 is the highest power of 2 that is less than 100.

So basically, people give Mr. Knuth this special thank you note with a lot of money, and he feels appreciated for all the work he has done. And everyone is happy!
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