Intellect Sharpeners.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21118, 27 February 1932, Page 5 (Supplement)

Intellect Sharpeners.

EXCHANGING BIRDS.

By T. L. BRITON* t Three poultry-farmers who were desir» ous of introducing other breeds of stock into their flocks, made a series of exchanges between them of four kinds of poultry, viz.:—Game roosters, young pullets, cockerels, and ducklings, the difference in the values being made up by the unequal numbers forming an " exchange." The bartering was done at the markets to which place each of the poultrymen brought a certain number of birds of the kinds mentioned. "A " first exchanged with " B " seven Cockerels for one game rooster, which then made the number of birds held by "B" exactly twice that possessed by " A.!' The next deal made was that " C " exchanged 16 ducklings with "A " for one of the latter's game roosters, the result being that " A " then had three times as many birds as " C." The third and only other deal that affects this problem was that between " B " and " C," the former giving "C " five cockerels for three of the latter's young pullets, this exchange making " B's " lot of birds exactly one more than the number that "C " then had. The interesting question which will perhaps give the reader a few moments of serious thinking is, how many did each farmer have with him before making the first exchange ? SCHOOL BOOKS. A school committee received an accoun : for £6 13s for books supplied to fou standards in the school from the third tthe sixth. The number of pupils who eac' received one was 75, of which 12 were i; standard three, 25 in standard four, 20 ii standard five, while tho remaining 1? were in standard six. The books being ol four different grades, the prices varieu accordingly, and the reader will be able to discover how much of the £6 13s was spent for books in each of tho four standards mentioned, with the following details to assist him. Five books of standard four co3t as much as four of standard five, 12 books of standard five as much as nine books of standard six, while six of the books supplied to the latter standard involved the same expense as eight of those for standard three. As the books of each separate standard were uniform in value the interesting question for the reader to ponder over is how the amount of the account mentioned should te charged against the four respective standards ? NECESSITY FOE SKILL. Here is a problem somewhat oft the beaten track which should test the skill, but not the patience, of the reader, for it should be solved without undue mental effort even if some hard thinking be re--quired before the puzzle is clear. The eight different letters in the two words " Requires skill " are represented by digits, ono for each letter, a uniform alphabetical equivalent being maintained throughout, for no digit is represented by more than one letter. The question is can tho reader find the respective digits represented by the letters in the following "division" sum and answer:— SKILL) REQUIRES (QLS, the remainder being given in figures, viz.:—2ooßs. Perhaps if the reader will take the following simpler one of the same kind first, he may more readily discover the solution of the other:—The result of multiplying be and be is abc when certain digits are substituted, the question is what are the respective digits for theso letters?

NUMBER OF BANANAS. It is curious how an elementary question concerning money calculations that one : liable to meet daily, has knack " -t, tripping a person when an effort is macL to reach the solution mentally. Here is one of the kind referred to and the reader is asked to abstain from using either pen or pencil to arrive at the correct answer. A woman, when buying some bananas, which were sold by the dozen and not by weight at that particular shop, complained to the fruiterer that some of the fruit he was then putting into the bag were very small in size. She had purchased two shillings' worth, and the seller, in response to her complaint, put two extra bananas into the bag in excess of the number he had correctly counted at the price marked. If the addition of those two made the price of the lot she had purchased exactly twopence a dozen lower than the marked price, can the reader say how many bananas the woman actually received for her two shillings ? I wonder how many readers will be prepared to answer this question correctly as soon as it has been read over ? MAROONED IN FLOOD TIME. • Crossing-river problems involve a clpss of puzzle of very ancient origin, yet they aro always new and interesting, and some are very difficult to solve correctly. Her® is one of the variety that can bo solved without undue mental strain, but the expressed terms of it should be clearly understood before attempting a eo{ution, for it is a problem that has produced some controversy among would-be solvers. On the occasion of a flood in a river, five married couples found themselves marooned on a small piece of high land on the opposite side of the river to where permanent safety lay. They had a boat, and every one was able to row in a fashion', but it would only hold three persons, which made it difficult to arrange the "ferry" service, in view of the fact that no husband would allow his wife to be in a boat or on either shore with one or more men unless the husband was there also. How was the transfer of the ten people accomplished, in the fewest number of crossings under these conditions ? Of course the puzzle must be solved by assuming that the crossings were made in the ordinary way that those being transferred were all inside the boat and not swimming or helped across by ropes or by using any other form of trick. LAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS. Need for Patience.—The passage reads; —" We find strong reasons for believing that in spite of his physical insignificance man, as an intelligent person, is of extraordinary importance in the cosmic scheme." The words in the odd positions aro to be ignored, only the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc., being material. Complicated Request.—Five ab 3s 4d, thirty at Is Bd, jyid eight at 4s 2d. Deal in Nectarines.—As the lady spent one shilling and eightpenee she must have received 16 nectarines. £2 'los would, at the same rate, purchase 480, that being the number of sixpences that sixteen gross would cost. Another lor the Armchair. —The height of the house from the ground to its eaves is 10ft. 6in. Problem o! "Weights.—l, 3, 5, 6 and 9 pounds respectively. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. " Interest."—(l) At 5- per cent, tlio amount of simple interest on one pound is one penny per calendar month. _ (2) Money doubles itself at this rate in 20 years, but at compound interest it takes only 14 years and two months approximately. (3) A cheap book of interest tables should satisfy your requirements. 0.E., " Kaera," L.D., W.E.H,-* Thanks. Will reply next week.