INTELLECT SHARPENERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20088, 27 October 1928, Page 7 (Supplement)

INTELLECT SHARPENERS.

J3Y X. It. BRITON'.

EXACTLY NINE O'CLOCK.

Daring tho last operatic season, the night performances commenced punctually at ono minute past eight o'clock, tho doors being then closed until tho end of tlio first scfeno.' A suburban man and his wife, having reserved seats, left home at a time sufficient to permit of their arrival by eijit but an accident to tho car on tho way necessitated transferring to a taxi-cab at a point just two inile3 from tho theatre. As tho couplo entered tho cab tho man looked at his watch and urged tho chauffeur to speed up, -at the same time remarking to his wifo that " oxactly an hour-and a-half ago it was as many minutes to half-past six at it is minutes to eight now." They arrived at tho theatre precisely at eight o'clock, and tho question for tho reader to determine is at what rate of speed did the taxi cab travel, assuming, as. was tho case that tho chauffeur drove off just as tho man looked at his watch?

CYLINDRICAL CHEESES. Cheeses, though generally made in cylindrical form, are usually carried—when not too large—in rectangular crates, and a problem yon the point will bo usoiul and at tho samo time demonstrate how uneconomical it is from a " freight" viewpoint for goods to bo mado and packed in this form. Tho inside measurements of a crate are:— Length, 30in., width, 18in., and depth 18in., and tho cheese to bo placed in it aro uniformly six inches in diameter and four and a-half inches thick, being cylindrical in shape. What is tho largest number that can bo packed flat in a crato with tho condition that though they may bo packed ono on top of tho other, their sides must not touch each other, but cardboard one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness placed between ? And having found tho number, how much space unoccupied by the cheeses will thero bo on tho floor of a crate? THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. A teamster was employed to haul a bogged motor car out of a difficult position on a country, road, and though he was paid well for tho work he unfortunately broko one of his cheiu traces into five fragments, necessitating taking it to tho smithy in tho village for repairs. The 6mith, seeing the chain in fivo pieces of fourteen links, eleven links, two of saven links, and a thrco-link piece, told tho teamster tho. price would be 2s 6d, being five openings and weldings at sixpence each, and this price was agreed to. If tho blacksmith had known he could have saved himself somo labour and the - teamster some money by adopting a less laborious method of repairing the chain. Can tho what would havo been tho shortest and cheapest method, assuming that all links dealt vrilh had to bo opened and welded ? ANOTHER JOB AT THE SMITHY. A man repairing a bridge brought to tho smithy two bolts each ono foot iri length, and one inch gauge, and required two others of tho samo thickness but each bolt half as long again as # tho old ones which were useless for tho new and haavie:: timber that was being put in the bridge.. But tho blacksmith, though ho had just a bare one-foot length of the proper sized-rod iron in stock, had no appliances nor any apparatus for putting a thread on a bolt. After a little thought, however, he was ablo to accomplish this " whilo-you-wait " job, and in less than an hour produced two 18in. bolts in tho quickest tfay possible with tho material described. This was ablo to bo done moro easily by reason of tho fact that tho nuts and' washers did not require moro than a 3in, thread. Can tho reader sav how it was done ?

TIDAL INFLUENCE. A correspondent signing " Old Salt," writes as follows:—"Would you plcaso decide the following question which has been argued among us fishermen for a long time, and neither side will admit being wrong. A- steamer, whose engines run uniformly a certain number of revolutions a minute, travels ten miles upstream against a three-mile an hour, current, and returns to the starting point with (he samo running current with it on a calm day. Will the steamer take longer or shorter time to travel the same distance under the same conditions as to engine revolutions and weather, but with no tidal influence whatever, either for or against ? " Though the question is not a now one, it always promotes healthy discussion. lAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS., A Pulley Problem. The gold was let down first, its unchecked rapid descent causing no damage, and the following ten other operations in conformity, with the terms of the problem, enabled the threo men to get down safely with the gold:—72lb. down, 601b. up; 84 down, 72 up; 60 down; 156 down, 84 and 60 up; 60 down; 72 down, 60 up; 60 down; 84 down, 72 up; 72 down, 60 up; 60 down. Under or Over 50 Per Cent. Thci milkman mado a fraction less than 50 per cent, profit, being approximately 49£ pat- cent. A Railway Camp Telephone. As the distance between the gangers' hut £,t A and the surveyors' camp; one furlong beyond B is 27 miles, the department's estimate of £SOO is £SB less than tho accepted lowest .tender* By Candlelight. One candle was originally eight inches long and tho other nine inches; fifteensixteenths of tho former and three-fourths of the other being ,burnt—the- Jengths remaining were one-half and two and aquarter inches respectively, one of the pieces being therefore four and a-half times longer than the other. Vital Statistics. The population at lost census must have been 10,626. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. " Election 'The problem referred to involved three parties only, tho number of seats being eighty in accordance with the conditions of the prcsont Houso of 'Representatives.