INTELLECT SHARPENERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23800, 5 May 1939, Page 3

INTELLECT SHARPENERS

By C. S. Wherefore

Written for the Otairo Daily Times,

A PUZZLE IN WORDS In the lines given below the first two spaces are to be filled with words composed of the same letters. The third space requires a longer word, which uses all the letters in the former word and also those of another word found also in the verse. I feel I am the bearer of good news, I won’t say , that is not the word; A half-ounce letter, that is all 1 use, To make of what has just occurred. It bears the stamp, which a machine supplies, Along a line torn neatly, My friend, you’ve won a big Art Union prize, Your troubles ought to fade away completely. THE ARITHMETIC LESSON “What were you doing at school to-day? ’’ was the question I asked Sylvia. The reply was, “ Square roots, Doggie, I mean Miss Kenelm, wrote 144 on the board, and showed that its square root is 12, then she wrote 441, and its square root is 21. So I pointed out that the second number and its square root show the same figures as the first and its root, reversed as regards left and right. But she seemed rathei annoyed by my comments, and says that we must find a similar result among numbers and square roots tc be shown up at our next lesson tomorrow. Can you tell me of one? Can I help Sylvia? NON-MATHEMATICAL Each of the eight lines given below contains one word of a quotation, but in order to make the problem more worthy of our efforts, these Words do not come in the order we require them. She stepped upon the tram, and left them there, The time was after 6, which is not late. And where she lives I’m very well aware. But that is what I do not choose to state. I would not wish it known to other men That where she dwells there is a telephone. An evil thing. I know, but useful when We make the plans to meet and be alone. SHORT PROBLEM James and Charles met outside the post office, and as the result of comparing notes they found that each boy’s employer had sent him to buy two dozen stamps of the 2£d, Ud and Id varieties, to cost three shillings. James had bought equal numbers of two of these varieties, but Charles had bought the largest possible number of one variety. What numbers of each variety had these boys been instructed to buy? FOR BREAKFAST PROBABLY Three children had been sent to the store to buy bacon and eggs. Mrs Flower’s little girl bought 3s worth of them. Then the young woman sent by Mrs Grass bought only three-quarters of the amount wanted by the former customer, but took one-fifth as many eggs again, and these also cost 3s. The third buyer, sent by Mrs Clover, wanted still more eggs: in fact, she spent 6d more on eggs than Mrs Grass, and she also spent exactly 3s. How did her quantity of bacon compare with the amount taken by Mrs Grass? ARMCHAIR PROBLEM The professor had been at a meeting of a philosophical society, and he thought the hour was rather late when he returned to his house. That was between 11 and 12, but his daughter, who had been at a party, did not return until after midnight. The times at which the two revellers came home, written in the ordinary way as so many minutes after an hour, give two numbers of minutes, which make 30 when added together. And the interval between the two applications of the latchkeys is just one thirtieth part of a day. What were these times? SOLUTIONS OF LAST WEEK’S PROBLEMS Orphans.—There are 26 boys and 9 girls. The bishop gave 5s and 6s, the stockbroker gave 14s and 3s. Coincidence. —Miss F. is 25 years old. The ages of her partners in the order given are 35, 45. 49, 18. Short Problem.—ls 4d. The clue is that the excess over the prices paid for the material must be a multiple of 2|d. Photographic.—Four out of the six negatives were successful. He showed 49 prints to the P. family, who wanted 35, and the V. family took 10 out of the remaining 14. Non-mathematical. The ticket was not bought for Irene, because she had to be persuaded to accompany Tom, and her remark shows that it was not intended for Muriel. Ethel is engaged to another man. Edna can not leave the house, and Alice is away from home, therefore, the ticket was bought for Hillary. The fact that she is Tom’s choice is confirmed by his words, which show that he is accustomed to giving her presents, but had to find a pretext for giving them to the others.