"NUTS!"

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 92, 19 April 1930, Page 22

"NUTS!"

(By T." L. Briton.)

INTELLECT SHARPENERS All rights reserved,

Readers with a little Ingenuity will find In this column an abun- . dans store of entertainment and amusement, and the solving of the oroblems should provide excellent mental exhilaration. While some rbf the "nuts" may appear harder than others, it will be found that , .none will.require, a sledge-hammer •;t_ crack them. EASTER EGGS. .There wcro not the artificial variety 6£ eggs of the kind to, be seen in con-fection-shops at this time of year, but the production from genuine poultry yards. A dealer had only a limited quantity for sale, the first purchaser buying onetenth the number of dozens he had. The.next took one-ninth of the number left, the next buyer took oneeighth of the quantity that were loft when he arrived, and so on, the eighth Customer's lot being one-third of the number then unsold, everyone buying in dozens. Now, if tho ninth and tenth buyers between them took the when 'lie „rrived, and so on, tho eighth purchaser had bought, how many dozens did the dealer start with, and which purchaser took tho most, assuming that the-'number of the tenth customer's lot was two dozen less than the quantity the fifth buyer took? If the reader elect to solve this prpblcm mentally, the effoit should prove an excellent intellect sharpener. THREE VARIETIES. . Whilst on the seasonal subject of eggs, hers is a little shopping trans-' aotion concerning three varieties of this commodity,_knowu to traders and customers alike as "new laid," "fresh," and "eggs," the prices being three shillings, two shillings, and ono shilling per dozen respectively. A- housekeeper purchased some of each kind, two dozen and five alto-, gethcr, for which she paid four shillings and threepence. There arc several different ways that these could be bought in varying quantities of each iind, but the number bought of one .variety happened to bo exactly twice that -of another, and the number purchased of the third grade exactly half a dozen less than one of the first two kinds mentioned, which limits the problem to one solution. Can the reader find by making a verysimple calculation how many of each variety tho housekepcer purchased? SHORT RUNS AT CRICKET. At a picnic cricket match on Good Friday in the countiy, the game was played on a chipped wicket, which was not favourable to the batsmen, though several good scores wcro made during the day. The playing, ground was not fenced or marked off, and being;- without boundaries, an extra amount of running between wickets was necessary. Otherwise tho match was carried on just like a Test match, so- far as regards a strict adherence to ' the rules of the game. A 'man hit a ball to leg, for which six were run, but the batsmen were evidently tired, for one umpire had signalled two short runs, whilst tho 'ether gave the signal for three short, tho signals, howcvei, on two occasions being simultaneous. ■ There was a discussion amongst the Spectators as to the number of runs "which that particular stioke obtained, but the scorers recorded them correctly. How many inns did the batsmen ac'taally make for that hit to leg, assuming, of course, that both batsmen whon .running turned simultaneously at every run, resulting in the umpires signalling in the manner described? x TEN CATTIES OF RICE. • Here ris a "dollar and cent" shopping problem not concerning the eurl'cncy of the land of the "Stars and Stripes," but the British port of Hong .Kong, where Mcxicau dollars arc in "use. ] ' A man "bought ten catties of rice at * total, cpsfc of thiity-four cents, and the, only money he had was one Mexi"can dollar, a thiec-cent piece, and a two-cent piece—but the shopman had no change, the money in the till being a fifty-cent pieco and a twenty-five cent piece. Another customer, seeing tho.difficulty, .offeied the use of his small ( change, which consisted of two ten-cent pieces, a five-cent piece, a two-cent piece, and a one-cent piece. The correct -ehango was thereupon given to,the man, the other customer's money"- returned to him, and the price of the'iice received by the shopkeeper, yet ;all three had then different: coins to what they possessed at fiist. How was "it managed? The Mexican" dollar fluctuates in raluc "according to the market price of silver, and is frequently of greater Tahiib'than one hundred cents when exchanged for subsidiary coins, but for the purposes of this problem its value is one hundred cenlt. ' HOW MANY? Upon going into the house after feeding his pony and putting him in the horse paddock, Jack was asked by hi 3 father how many other horsos besides the pony were in the paddock? The boy, whose favourite subject is mathematics, replied that if tho number now in tho paddock, including the pony, be divided into two parts (of whatever.relative pioportions), the difference Between them would be exactly the_ same as tho difference between their squares. There are quite sufficient details here for the purpose of calculating how many horses were in the paddock before the pony was put in, but when Jack followed his mother and sister into another room to listen-in, his father was still busy with pencil and paper. "When the .reader is making this

simple calculation, he will, of course, be guided solely by the. statements expressed in tho problem, any question as to whether the-incident could ever happen being ignored. LAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS. A Widower's Will. —The estate was. divided when the youngest child was twenty, ten years after the-will was made, the other ages being 30, 26, and 24. ',:.;. Seven Squares.—o to 1, nto2, k to 5, E to 3, r toG, a to 7, c to -~£• , -^,1, rto 0,-a to 6 reading Eureka with seventh square blank. Shopping Separately.—-Each lady took £10 in toil shilling notes and four half-crowns, total, .£lO ,10s, and. spent £5 ss. Pure Mathematics and English..— ' Mary 27-J and Ann 10J.. It may interest the reader to check these, reading the problem from the .end. • The Elder Spouse.—Tho husband was : 27 and wife IS when.married. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Navy." —The percentage under, both ' systems, • categorical , and global, will be worked out and published ' later in tho form of' a problem. "French."—The length-of five con- - timetres is practically equal to two - inches, but-one hundred (one metre) equal thirty-nine decimal three seven inches only. (2) A degree ! of lattitude . equals ' sixty' knots (geographical, miles) of 6080 feet each. "J.F.A." —No record of tho particular point ieferredio has been kept, but a.somewhat .analogous problem will appear^ next Saturday. •■,■_,,... - . - "A Shopping Episode."—The lowest coin used should read one penny. _ Correspondents are requested to send their letters care of P.O. Box 10-3, City. :