NUTS TO CRACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3805, 15 February 1927, Page 22

NUTS TO CRACK.

By T. L. Briton. (For thb Witness.) Readers with a little ingenuity will find in us column an abundant store of entertainment and amusement, and the solving of the problems should provide excellent mental exhilaration. While some of the “nuts” may appear harder than others, it will be found that none will require a sledge-hammer to crack them. Solutions will appear In our next issue together with some afresh “nuts." Readers - re requested not to send in their solutions, unless these are specially asked for. but to keen them for comparison with those published in the issue following the publication of the problems. * A STRANGE LETTER. Editors probably get a more varied assortment of correspondence than members of other professions, for nowadays there seems to. be a tendency with many people, when imagining something wronj-g “ to write to the editor about it.” Pro bably much of this kind of correspondence finds the W.P.8., but still there must be a percentage of these letters deserving investigation. Here is a strange one, the writer of which may have something important to communicate if it were only written in a known language: "Seta oco. Seh siwt seb. Mel borpo niino drod raobth guard lano is aecon asu evi guayd luoed nag niog mehtp

eekesa elpos. Ret niweht gniru derom ne vemeh temoc lewl liwd nake ewyre vesrenep rahst cell et niru oq rofko olid nas muh cym wohyaso teto nelt tilatsuj. Notir bret simra ed.” Can the reader translate this strange letter? ■ WITH DIGITS. Here is an excellent yet simple problem that will give no end of amusement, and requires patience and ingenuity particularly when, after discovering a number of different positions, one is confronted with possible reversals and reflections of practically similar arrangements. Take the nine, digits 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7,8, 9; and arrange them in three rows so that a number underneath is greater than the one on top of it, and so that each number is greater than its left-hand neighbour, when jt has one. I know a certain politician who gets much relaxation with this “ and who says that new positions are constantly being revealqd. But there is a limit to the number. Can the reader discover the maximum number of different arrangements? Here is one:—

THE LIVERY STABLES. Three men, who had for many years conducted large livery and bait stables, decided to dispose of horses, buses and all similar vehicles, and convert the stables into garages. There were 34 ' horses to divide, and as the vehicles and’ other properties had been divided in various proportions, it was found that an equitable division of the horses would be in the

proportion of £, 1-3 and 1-9 to A B C respectively, llow many would each get? A FENCING CONTRACT. Michael and his mate Patrick secured a contract to erect posts two yards apart on a line 120 yards in length. They first went over the line carefully and found the distance correct, pegs having been placed at, each end. “Now Pat,” said Michael, “’tis. best for you to start at one end'’ and it’s myself will begin at tother end, and then tis no time will be wasted talking and argifying, and mind Pat to make f the distance between each post two yards exactly; that’ll be 30 posts for you and 30 for me for the whole line of 120 yards. But when they met, each doing his 30th post, they found that there were more than two yards between them. One blamed the other for not measuring correctly and they were nearly coming to blows when the foreman arrived. What distance should there be between the two thirtieth posts commencing to count from each end?

A ROUND ABOUT WAY. Four boys who were always playing marbles for “keeps” were surprised by their uncle in the middle of a little dispute. 'lt appears that some were slightly better players than the and the latter were evidently not good <sers. The uncle suggested that they should all start again on equal terms. He proceeded to allocate the marbles accordingly, adopting a roundabout method, to make, as he said, an interesting process of it. Finding that Horace had 20 more than Percy, the former was told to hand a quarter of his lot to Algernon, which made the number that Horace and Cecil had together equal to what Percy and Algernon then had. Cecil was then obliged to give one-third of this quota to Algernon, the latter giving one quarter of what he had to Horace, who thereupon gave one-fifth of his diminishing heap to Percy. Finally Algernon divided one-quarter of his lot equally between the other three. Each of the four then had an equal number. How many did they each have before the division? SOLUTIONS OF LAST WEEK’S PROBLEMS. THE TRAIN FARES. The fares were 16s each, or £3 4s for the party. The boys therefore had 4s to spend on refreshments during the journey. BUYING RHUBARB. A circle with a circumference measuring only half that of another must be only one-quarter its area. Therefore, the Chinee cheated the professor’s wife by giving her only half the quantity of rhubarb that she paid for. MOVING WHEELS. It must be clearly noted that the question refers only to the wheels of a vehicle in motion. If it were a moving wheel on a stationary vehicle —e.g., a wheel in the process of being greased, or a grindstone in motion, the answers obviously is “no.” But in the ease of a vehicle in motion, the upper part of the wheel travels faster, through space, than the lower; otherwise the vehicle would make no progress whatever. If there are any unbelievers they can convert themselves by a very simple demonstration with a coin. A SAWMILLER’S CONTRACT. The miller would have 200 feet of timber over, after flooring his room. ‘ NUTS FROM BRAZIL. Harry (aged 14) received 616, Charlie (aged 12) got 523. and nine-year-old Fred received the smallest share. 395; total 154 V nuts. ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. “A. T. S.>” Gore.—(l) Write to any of the wholesale agents in Dunedin for.desired information. (2) Thanks. Will look into and publish if suitable, but it looks as though it can be improved and made a little more complex.

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