536 Puzzles and Curious Problems

(Elliott) #1
76 Arithmetic & Algebraic Problems

more than each side of the other floor. What were the dimensions of the two
floors?



  1. THE MUDBURY WAR MEMORIAL


The worthy inhabitants of Mudbury-in-the-Marsh recently erected a war
memorial, and they proposed to enclose a piece of ground on which it stands
with posts. They found that if they set up the posts I ft. apart they would have
too few by 150. But if they placed them a yard apart there would be too many
by 70.
How many posts had they in hand?



  1. MONKEY AND PULLEY


Here is a funny tangle. It is a mixture of Lewis Carroll's "Monkey and
Pulley," Sam Loyd's "How old was Mary?" and some other trifles. But it is
quite easy if you have a pretty clear head.
A rope is passed over a pulley. It has a weight at one end and a monkey at
the other. There is the same length of rope on either side and equilibrium is
maintained. The rope weighs four ounces per foot. The age of the monkey and
the age of the monkey's mother together total four years. The weight of the
monkey is as many pounds as the monkey's mother is years old. The monkey's
mother is twice as old as the monkey was when the monkey's mother was half
as old as the monkey will be when the monkey is three times as old as the
monkey's mother was when the monkey's mother was three times as old as
the monkey. The weight of the rope and the weight at the end was half as much
again as the difference in weight between the weight of the weight and the
weight and the weight of the monkey. Now, what was the length of the rope?



  1. UNLUCKY BREAKDOWNS


On an occasion of great festivities a considerable number of townspeople
banded together for a day's outing and pleasure. They pressed into service
nearly every wagon in the place, and each wagon was to carry the same num-
ber of persons. Half-way ten of these wagons broke down, so it was necessary
for every remaining wagon to carry one more person. Unfortunately, when
they started for home, it was found that fifteen more wagons were in such bad
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