FAMILY FUN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 13, Issue 7, 13 February 1908, Page 38

FAMILY FUN

To findi a number thought of.— This is an a'-ithmietical trick, which, to- those who are unacquainted with it, seems very surprising ; but, when explained, is very simple. For instance, ask a nerson to think of a number under ten. When he says he has dione so, desire him to treble that number. Then ask whether the sum of the number he has thought of (now multiplied by three) be odd or even ;, if odd, tell him to add one to make the sum even. He is next to " halve the sum, and then treble that half. Again . ask whether the amount be odd or e\en. If odd, add one (as before) to make it even, and then halve it. Now ask how many nines are contained ' in the -remainder. The secret is,, to bear in mind ' whether the first sum be odd or even : if odd, retain one in the memory ; if odd a sfecond time, retain two more (makung in .all three to be retained in the memory) ; to which add four for every nine contained in the remainder. The Industrious Frog.-rThere was a well thirty feet deep, and at the bottom a frog anxious to get out. He got up three feet per day, but regularly fell tack two feet at night Required the number of days necessary to enable him to get out.? The frog 'appears *to have cleared one foot rer day, and at the end of twenty-seven 4 days', he would be twenty-seven feet up, or within three ' feet 08 the too, and the next day he would get out. He would, therefore, be twenty-eight days getting out i