"NUTS!"

Evening Post, Issue 86, 11 April 1936, Page 17

"NUTS!"

Intellect Sharpeners All rights reserved "

(By C. J. Wherefore)

Readers with' a little Ingenuity will find In this column an abundant'store of entertainment and amusement, and the solving o1 (he problems should provide excellent mental exhilaration. While some of the "nuts" may appear harder than^others. It will be found that none will require a sledjefcammer to crack them.. Address oorresp^nie to P.O. Box 1177. Wetlinltra.

ARMCHAIR PROBLEM.

The manufacturers of'a patent medicine have received a testimonial fromone of their customers, which states: "Two years ago, when I started to take your tonic, my friends said I looked a hundred years old. Now they have reduced their estimate to 80 years, and at this rate they will think I look no more than my real age after another year of your treatment." What is the age of the writer?-; THEEE EASY ANAGRAMS. In the lines given below,, the first two spaces «re to be filled with words composed of the same letters. This is true also of the third and fourth spaces, and again of "the flfth Jand- sixth spaces.

Though you up here, we have • Supposed .-•'.■ ': You still—— town prices, when you buy, ■ . ■ ■ You'll find, if you> will the list enclosed, The goods are far from : —, which we supply. ' - To deal with us ■ a saving way, Certain .as of tomorrow's day. DISPOSAL OF A LEGACY. A man left a sum of money amounting to £1105 to two sons, one daughter, and a distant relative, if this person should survive him, It was. found, however, that the individual last mentioned had died a day before the testator. If this legacy were given to the elder son, he would have £225 more than his brother. If.it were given to the younger son, he would have £45 more than his brother. What actually happened was' that it was divided into four equal parts, of which two went to the sister, and one to each of the two brothers. Then the sister's share was equal to those of her two brothers put together. What were the amounts of the four legacies? SUBSTITUTION PROBLEM. The following is an extract from an invoice, in 'which letters : have been written in place of the figures. The problem is to restore these numerals, and three solutions are required; one in which the value of A is the sum; of X and V, another in which it is the ; difference of1 them, • and a- third in which it is the product of them, i■■:■ -. AA articles at XV pence, £ A A A. ADJACENT PADDOCKS. A farmer had some sheep in four mobs, of 315, 300, 287, and 272,, and these were in four " paddocks, which may be called A, B, C, and D, respectively. Two of these paddocks adjoin one another, so that when a few sheep passed through'a damaged fence, they got among one of the other mobs.' The result of this was that there were three sheep in one of these paddocks for every four' in the other. Which .are the two paddocks which adjoin one another, arid how many sheep passed through the fence? . • ■ • WHAT DID THE VICAR SAY? The vicar's wife had been describing the annual bazaar and sale of work for the purpose of finding the" interest on the debt upon the hall, in' which the sale had been held. "That, mean creature, to whom we have to.pay all this, put in an appearance, and I am sure he did so just to see if we were going to get the.money together. Anyhow, I sold him a cushion, which was so ugly that no one would lpok at it, and got a two'shilling piece out of him. • At the end we found we had collected just the exact sum,:. £11, and no more. The money was m two boxes, one containing shillings and twoshilling pieces, and the other holding all smaller coins. This was rather heavy,"and its cash value'Nvas a hundred times as much.as that of the other before we had put the single shillings into it. And I handed it-all over to our nasty old creditor just as it was, by way of paying him-out for his meanness." How much money was there in each of the boxes? SOLUTIONS. Bicycle— £5 ss. ■■><- . Ages.—B is 13 years old, and Aas 11.

Word Change.—Wild will, wall, tall, tale, take,' tame. . ... Statistics.—The score. was 253, of "which each of the. = Smiths made 23. The five who came before them made 155, and the others. 52. Art Union.— A solution is possible only with multiples of 12, because there are 12 persons. : Each woman must have twice as much as each man, and must make her. gifts . twice as large. In ■ the present case each man begins with. £12,. gives away £4, and receives £8. Each woman begins wit.i £24, receives £8, and gives away £16/ Armchair Problem.— The hat; was not for E, because-it was a surprise, and she knew all about' it. It was not for D, because she never allows anyone to choose things for her. It' was not for B, because she is still wearing .school uniform, and it is.not. for A, I'because she-is evidently out of New Zealand, since her mother'has to wait more than.a week for. the next mail. Therefore it must be for the married daughter,. C. . -