"NUTS!".

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 112, 14 May 1927, Page 18

"NUTS!".

= -•• -♦— ■ < § {intellect sharpeners! 3 " V' 'i ' ~r"'- ■■-■■ ■■: '.§ I . (By T. L. Briton.) | | ... r Xo..XIK.'. .;■ '.. '■ \ | ■•'.', All 'lights reserved. | Headers with a" little ingenuity will find in this column, an abundant store of entertainment and amusement, and the solving of the problems should- provde excellent mental exhilaration. - While some of the "nuta" may appear harder than others, it will be found that none will require a sledge-hammer to crack them. . .

Game shooters, so far as is generally known, seldom compete with their brother sportsmen, the anglers, in. relating interesting stories of their mighty deeds. Yet it is surprising how inauy extraordinary feats have, from time to time, been uchieved by the merry' knights of the trigger.-, liven since the present duck shooting eeasou opened, many iu,ta..io performances are worthy of record. One enthusiast, evidently' of-considerable prowess, was wading waist-deep with a companion when suddenly a dozen black duck rose just in front of them. He let the .birds have . both barrels, and seven-twelftlft of tho number fell as dead as Julius Caesar. His companion,.however, was a little late in getting to work, 1 "' managed ..t longer range to drop two-fifths of'the others, though these were only slightly wounde^. Out of the dozen, how many, still remained? The reader may discover in is problem, something more than mathematics, x TWO TRAINS CROSS.

Spine.-time ago a railway shutting problem was published, but was 1 found that by the use of the' "tail rope" it was easy of solution. Though not expressly barred, it was intended that only the engi . should be used as in ordinary shunting operations. A .correspondent,l "A.0.5." who by the way has not yet failed in 'any "of his. examinations,.considers that the problem was easy compared with some that he has.had to work out, rid suggests a more difficult one. Well, as this kind of problem requires no' technical knowledge to solve theoretically, here is one within the capacity of the average reader, if given, time,' because it cannot be done in a hurry except by experts like A.0.5., for it requires a lot of thinking. "E," an'express train of 45 total (1 carriage equals 3 wagons in length), proceeding north, is scheduled, to cross a goods train "G" of 80 total, travelling south,' at C, where the main line holds 40 and the loop 40^ How can.thevctossing be accomplished most expeditious)}'?

V BY WAY OF VARIETY. Amongst the correspondence recently'received, several letters have come from students in different 'parts of ;the Dominion, aJlevideTieing keenness in solving the problems to be found in this column, particularly those that take them off the beaten track of: academic routine. Ti the interests of all readers, the wr" * •■ideavours to arrange that the majority, 're problems of this character, and with "abundance of variety. Here, is ..a novel one in figures that will be welcomed by ouv young academic" friends, 'because they will find nothing just like-'it. in their text-book's. It has been said -that in figures there C<in never-be'anything, new, bnit surely this is. I have just put down' six figures—3,^ 0, 3, 3, o; 3—all. separate. Can the reader arrange an arithmetical sum with" these, using, any'signs desired. so: that the cqrrcct answer is 200? Only the six figures must appear in.the sum when set. and may be ai'ranged singly, in combination or in any other way desired. ' .GOING UPSTAIRS. It was a'wet day during a receipt weekend,- .and a .family staying at a' seaside" resort were kept indoors. It was difficult to control the children, whose greatest fun seemed'to be ■■running upstairs and sliding down the banister. The father quickly .solved the problem, and wardssecurea:f6r."everyß6dy.k:.quiet'afternoon. Making the youngsters dou their

slippers, he. offered a prize to the first one who could solve the following puzzle. To find the fewest number of steps necessary, by starting on the floor at the bottom of the staircase, and going twice ' to the top landing (stopping there the last time having returned' once to the j floor), the condition being ■. that each ! "tread" (or step) of the staircase should ) be used exactly the same number of ti :s, j including, of 'course, the. landing, there I being ten steps besides. The rain had ; long ceased before the solution was dis- i covered, and the father (a surveyor) took ! almost as long to verify it by calculation, I telling some ■ friends afterwards that it ! was riot the easiest of problems. What is the correct answer? A COUPLE'S FOOTRACE (A REAL POSER). . The solution of this- problem will not appear next Saturday, as it is considered that .New Zealand readers should be given quito, as. long .s Londoners had to solve it, and no one there managed to discover the solution in a montfr. Mr. Dudney, a clever^ mathematician, published it in Lon- : don some years ago, and several dailies took it up, iv which it'ran many weeks without getting one correct solution out of -the thousands sent in. There is no catch.in the problem, being solvable pure- '■ ly by mathematics. Neither is the answer : '1 \' t, ie" (Matrimonial), nor is there a ' double or obscure meaning, to any word i or phrase used in stating the problem, i Hies, -matters are mentioned to avoid unnecessary queries, though when first published this was evidently overlooked. Here is the problem. At a country squire's house m -—shire, the usual sports were being held, and one of the events was a footrace between the gardener and the cook. The' distance, was 200 ft' (100 ft in , a straight line and return to starting point). The gardener covered 3ft at each stride, and the coolc only 2ft, but then she made three strides to his two, each taking the same time in turning. Who won the race, and by how much? The solution will appear on 11th June.

LAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS. A Dairy Herd. Thole would be no calves born the first year, 1 the second, l.the third, 2 the fourth . . . and 34 in the,tenth year, making a. herd of 89 in ten years, including the progenitor. ■ ■ - • Easter Time. ''The•■■day must have been Easter Saturday. ' •.•■■■ Five Dominoes. I£ the first player leads off with the tour, and contrives to make 11, 17, 24 30 he must always \vm. ' ' A Telier'sTHistake, , The cheque was. for £i 10s, and £10 4s ! was paid by mistake. Only One Conveyance. If G. rides 11 1-9 miles, drops the bicycle and walks the rest,, he will arrive, in 3 hours 20 minutes, the exact time tbat H would make walking 11 1-9 miles and rifr ing 8 8-9 miles. Other distances may be apportioned, but they must be in the ratio of 5 to 4 riding and 4 to 5 walking respectively. ■■■•■.. ' ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. R.Y.T.—Have posted "Evening Post' cutting of solution. (2) %H plus HH equals |H- See -Evening Post," 16th ; April, ■N.p.—Thanks, but a little too elementary. . ... P.B.—The hands of a watch, 60 X 60 over 55 equals 65 5-11 minutes.