106 Geometrical Problems
Does the pig escape, or does Pat catch it? And if he catches it, exactly how
far does the pig run?
308. THE LADDER
There was some talk at the breakfast table about a ladder that was needed
for some domestic purposes, when Professor Rackbrane interrupted the dis-
cussion with this little puzzle:
"A ladder was fastened on end against a high wall of a building. A man
unfastened it and pulled it out four yards at the bottom. It was then found
that the top of the ladder had descended just one-fifth of the length of the
ladder. What was the length of the ladder?"- A MA VPOLE PUZZLE
During a gale a maypole was broken in such a manner that it struck the
level ground at a distance of twenty feet from the base of the pole, where it
entered the earth. It was repaired, and broken by the wind a second time at a
point five feet lower down, and struck the ground at a distance of thirty feet
from the base.
What was the original height of the pole? In neither case did the broken
part become actually detached.
- THE BELL ROPE
A bell rope, passing through the ceiling above, just touches the belfry floor,
and when you pull the rope to the wall, keeping the rope taut, it touches a
point just three inches above the floor, and the wall was four feet from the
rope when it hung at rest. How long was the rope from floor to ceiling?311. THE DISPATCH RIDER IN FLANDERS
A dispatch rider on horseback, somewhere in Flanders, had to ride with all
possible speed from the position in which he is shown to the spot indicated
by the tent. The distances are marked on the plan. Now, he can ride just twice
as fast over the soft turf (the shaded ground) as he can ride over the loose
sand. Can you show what is the quickest possible route for him to take? This