INTELLECT SHARPENERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22835, 20 March 1936, Page 3

INTELLECT SHARPENERS

Written for the Otago Daily Times, By C. J. Wherefore. [Correspondence should bo addressed to Box 1177. Wellington.] ANAGRAM. In the lines given below the two spaces are to be filled with words composed ot the same seven letters. It is also required that a third word be formed with these letters. Herewith a little sent by post From one abroad to someone left behind. The thing, of which he now the most. Is that he did not think to change his mind And spend his fortnights leave some other way, So he might see and speak with you to-day. TWO LEGACIES. "How much do I get in my grandfather’s will?” was the question Tom put to the solicitor. “ I am not supposed to tell you that until all the beneficiaries are here together,” was the reply, "but I will give you some useful information. Take his age last birthday and at the birthday before that, square them, and subtract the less from the greater, and the remainder is the number of pounds you will receive.” “ Then you might give me some information, too” said Tom’s sister. “Very well, add your own age to that of your grandfather and divide by seven. Then square the and that is your number of_ pounds.” “ Oh, that sounds all right,” said Margaret. “ I have to increase his age by 16; that means that I shall get a lot more than Tom, won’t I? ” But the solicitor only laughed, and replied: “As a matter of fact both of you will get the same amount.” What was the grandfather’s age, and how much money did_ he leave to the two grandchildren mentioned? ARMCHAIR PROBLEMS. A man was driving some sheep along a rogd, and had to cross a creek which was ’ rather high owing to heavy rain. Two men, who had drays, were willing to take his sheep across for him. One of them offered to do eo at 5d a dozen, and the other at 7d for every 16. He accepted the services of both, and paid 5s altogether. In doing so he did not fin! it necessary to count any fractions of a penny. How many sheep did each of his assistants carry across the creek for him? AN ADVERTISEMENT. A man picked up a handbag which contained only half crowns and sixpences. He inserted an advertisement in a dail.y paper, saying that the entire sum of money was the equivalent of a number of pounds equal to the number ot sixpences, plug the value of a number of sixpences equal to the number of the half crowns. In doing this he imagined that he had kept the secret of how much money there was, so that only the real owner of the bag could describe it. Was he correct in thinking this? A HOLIDAY FOR THE ACCOUNTANT. Miss Tussock has been keeping the books for her father, who is one of those patient men, who try to make their living out of sheep. She has just-returned from a four-weeks’ holiday, and, according to her own and her father’s arithmetic, it cost the price of a bale of their best wool. Now I happen to know that the average weight of the bales was 3cwt 2qr Blb, after allowance for the usual deductions. No doubt Miss Tussock is a good bookkeeper, but her methods while on holiday seem to have been rather free and easy. She says she cashed her father’s cheque in fl notes, and was content to count these at the end of each week. The first week’s expenditure ascertained by this simple method was the heaviest, and was the only one in which the number of notes spent came to double figures. She was more careful during the second week, and reduced the former amount by a certain number. In the third week she again reduced the expenditure by the same number of notes a» before, and in the last week she had no alternative from continuing this procedure, because she had just enough left to last the fourth week, if she did so. Now, what did Mr Tussock get for his wool? A PROBLEM IN TIME-KEEPING. Uncle John gave watches as presents to a nephew and niece last Christmas. As the boy is still quite young and at school, he did not receive an expensive article, but the girl was given a good wristlet. The firm from which this was purchased paid postage, but the uncle paid registration on the package, and this is allowed for in the statement that this watch cost him £1 5a 8d more than the other. Not long ago the brother and sister returned from a camping holiday, during which they were unable to correct their watches, but when they did so by means of the wireless signal, the error of one watch was found to be six and three-fifths times as much as the other, according to the statements of their owners And it is a remarkable fact that one watch cost the uncle just six and three-fifths times as much money as the other. What wehe the prices paid for the two watches? SOLUTIONS OF LAST WEEK’S PROBLEMS. Small Change.—There is only one solution with regard to the cash values. They are sixpence, 4 shillings, and 5 shillings, 6 pence. Of course, it is tpiite impossible to discover which coins were used. Armchair Problems. — (1) The haltsister, who is the offspring of the mother, is two years older than the other. (1) Divide 30 by one-third, and the quotient, 90, is, what he calls his average. Double this and subtract 3. and the result, 177, is the answer required. Good -Night.—lt is easy to see that there were 120 exchanges, so it is necessary only to classify them. Fifty-six of these were men shaking hands witn women, and- 7 were men kissing women. But only 36 were men shaking hands with men, and only 21 were women kissing women. She Deserved It.—The amusing point is that the last man gave her cither 10 shillings and sevenpence, or only twopence, and it is impossible to ascertain whether he was very generous or quite the reverse. The other donations were: 63. 40, 56, and 82 ponce. Presents. —The interesting point is that there were only two girls in town. We do not know how many remained on the farm, but this is not asked. The rest is easy, if we accept the warning to avoid the snare which leaves 13 shillings. The two pairs of presents then cost J2s, 2s, and 6s. Is.