INTELLECT SHARPENERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

INTELLECT SHARPENERS.

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- Readers are requested not to send in their solutions unless these are specially asked for, but to keep them for comparison with those published on the Saturday following the publication of the problems. MONETARY EXCHANGE. When moneys aro required to be remitted from one country to another, it not infrequently happens that circuitous instead of direct routes aro adopted in order to take advantage of any favourable rate of exchange that may be offering at the time in any particular place. A seasonable problem on the subject is offered for the reader's consideration, in view of the increasing trade that is developing between New Zealand and fho South American States. A firm in Buenos Ayres desiring to remit £762 to a New Zealand Bank, finds that the rates of exchange are as follows: Fifteen shillings equal twenty-seven pesestas in Buenos Ayres; one pound sterling equals four dollars 72 cents in New York, whera three dollars 54 cents can be bought for twenty-seven pesestas.* In such a case would it be more advantageous for the firm to remit direct to New Zealand from Buenos Ayres, or circuitously by purchasing a draft for £762in New .York? CLOCK PROBLEMS. The solution of a clock problem pul> lished recently gave the time five and fiveelevenths minutes past four, and a correspondent, M.J.H., being puzzled to know how the "elevenths" comes in, asks that the method of arriving at the result be explained. "I can. understand," she writes " odd seconds being expressed in fractions of sixty, but " the elevenths" is altogether a puzzle to me." It is interesting to receive this communication for the explanation is one that can readily bo followed by anyone, no technical knowledge being required. If we xlivide the dial of a time piece into sixty equal parts, it will be noted that the minute hand travels once round while the hour hand moves five divisions, or one-twelfth of that distance. Thus the minute hand gains on the other fifty-five divisions in one hour, which is equivalent to eleven divisions in twelve minutes. The solution referred \ to was one-eleventh of an hour past four o'clock, namely, five and five-elevenths minutes.

A GBEASY POLE. At a recent festival in a country iown athletic sports formed an important feature, and one of the events, viz., climbing a well-greased pole, gave the public a large measure of fun. Although no competitor managed to achieve the feat, it was accomplished afterwards by a Maori boy. Here is a problem .on the latter incident. There was a platform on the pole one foot from the ground, from > wbich all competitors started. Another platform was affixed to the pole a certain distance higher up, and just one foot from the top. The pole had to be climbed from the lower platform on which each competitor sat, the feat being achieved by gaining a sitting position on tHe top stage. Assuming that- the Maori boy ascended two feet and dropped one foot in alternate seconds between the two platforms, and that it took him nine seconds to accomplish that distance, what was the length of the pole? PITFALLS IST AVERAGES. Probably no form of calculation is aim--pler that that' relating to averages, yet it provider more pitfalls fear the norw technical person that any other* One every-day example of this is in the often-heard statement that it is possible for a bowler in a cricket match to obtain, a better average than another in each of two innings, yet be beaten in the refcord for the whole match. Again, the fallacy that a car travelling oat at twenty miles an hour and back at tMrty miles per hour, makes an average for both journeys of twenty-five miles per hour, is acceptable'to some persona instead of tho correct solution of 24 miles per hour. Most readers, however, know, that the average of two or more sets of quantities } the average of the whole is not obtained by finding the average of the averages unless there be the same number of quantities in every set. For instance, a boy spends daily during May two shillings and three pence, during June four shillings and a half-penny, and two shillings daily in July. What is his average daily expenditure for £he three months?

the bridge tournament. Last month a problem was published concerning the arrangement of parties and opponents in a bridge tournament under certain fixed conditions, and so many readers having asked for the publication of the positions in detail, they are given below. The letters ABC DE E will denote ladies, and 6 H I J K L, the gentlemen. AB v. IL EJ' v. GK FH t. CD AC r. JB FK v. HL GI v. DE AD v. KC GL v IB HJ v. EF AE v XiD HB v. JC IK v. FG AF v. BE IC v. KD JL v. GH AG v. CF JIT v. LE KB v. HI AH v. DG KE v. BF LC v. 1.7 AI v. EH T.F v. CG BD v. JK AJ v FI BG v. DH CE v. KJj AK v. GJ CH v. EI DF v. LB AL v. HK DI V. FJ EG v. BC This may be deemed useful enoughto be kept by for reference. LAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS. The General Election. There aire 91,381 different ways ihat 80!£ f members of parliament can be formedinto four separate and distinct parties 80-0-0-0 being one way, and 20-20-20-20, 1 another. A Wheel Curiosity, I The explanation shortly is that the hnb' r i of a wheel, though only making the same number of revolutions as the outer cir- i cuinference, progresses or moves alengt also by the carriage of the wheel. TJiej rim, of course, travels the actual' length? of itself in one revolution. Tying Up Parcels. The cord passes twice along the length of the package four times along the breadth and six times along its depth. The size of the largest pareel under the conditions is therefore, in feet, 2 by 1 by 2-3. In a Military Hospital. The number of patients Tn the hospital, musfr have been 120 according to the records given. A Carillon. The peal of bells should be arranged as follows? 1. 2. 8. 2. 1. 3. %. 8. 1. 3. 2. 1. 3. 1. 2 - 1. 3. 2ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. • A F B —Any surveyor or civil engineer . wotid be qualified for that work; . FS—Yes, the result you^ thSfy, id'ha, appeared m tto column . . already. Thanks.