  A great deal of fun can be derived from puzzles of this nature—they are endless in variety—and as they depend upon some principle in arithmetic should be easily remembered.
When this last number is told, halve it, and you will arrive at the original number—8.
The number of tens in the last answer gives the number thought of, viz., 9.
Ask how many 9’s are in the remainder, when, of course, the reply will be 1. The secret is to bear in mind whether the first sum be odd or even. If odd first time, retain 1 in the memory; if odd a second time, 2 more, making 3; to which add 4 for every 9 contained in the remainder. In the above example, there being only one 9 in 17, this gives us 4, which added to 3 produces the number thought of—7. When even simply add 4 for every 9 in remainder. HOW TO TELL THE AGE OF A PERSON. Tell a person to write down the figure which represents the day of the week on which he was born;—thus, 1 for Sunday, 2 for Monday, and so on; next, the figure for the month—1 for January, 2 for February, &c.; then the date of the month; now tell him to multiply the number thus formed by 2, add 5, multiply by 50, and then to add his age, and from this sum to subtract 365; now you ask him for the remainder, to which you secretly add 115. The result will be:—The first figure, the day of the week; the next, the month in the year; the next, the date of the month; and the last, the age in years. Example: A person was born on Wednesday, 11th June, 1863. Write 4, as Wednesday is 4th day of the week.
A GOOD FIGURE TRICK. Tell a person to set down a sum of money less than £12, in which the pounds exceed the pence; next to reverse this amount, making pence pounds, etc., and to subtract the one from the other, then set beneath the result itself reversed, adding the last two lines together, when you will tell him the result, which will always be £12 18s. 11d.
“Girls” and “Boys.” At a school examination, the inspector set the girls to write an essay on “Boys” and the boys to write one on “Girls.” The following was handed in by a girl of 12:— “The boy is not an animal, yet they can be heard to a considerable distance. When a boy hollers he opens his big mouth like frogs, but girls hold their tongues till they are spoken to, and then they answer respectable, and tell just how it was. A boy thinks himself clever because he can wade where it is deep, but God made the dry land for every living thing, and rested on the seventh day. When the boy grows up he is called a husband, and then he stops wading and stays out at nights, but the grew up girl is a widow and keeps house.” One of the boys sent in:— “Girls are very stuck up and dignified in their manners and behaveyour. They make fun of boys, and then turn round and love them. Girls are the only people that have their own way every time. Girls is of several thousand kinds, and sometimes one girl can be like several 1000 girls if she wants anything. I don’t beleive they ever killed a cat or anything. They look out every nite and say, “Oh, ain’t the moon lovely!” Thir is one thing I have not told, and that is they always now their lessons bettern boys. This is all I now about girls, and father says the less I now the better for me.” 73. The sum of the squares of two consecutive numbers is 1105. What are the numbers? A PROBLEM FOR PLUMBERS. 74. A requires a tank in size capable of holding the quantity of water that would be caught from the roof of his house in a fall of 3 inches of rain. The roof (commonly called a “hip-roof”) is at an angle of 45 degrees to the wall plates. The length of house is 30 ft., breadth 24 ft., and length of ridge to roof 6 ft. But the eaves of the iron used for the roofing were so large as to increase its (the roof’s) dimensions by 3 inches all round, and the spouting added another 3 inches all round. Find the number of gallons the tank would require to contain; also dimensions of tank to be made so that its height must exceed its diameter by no more than 12 inches? “The ’embers of a dying year”—November, December. TO TELL THE COMPASS BY A WATCH. Hold the watch face-downwards above your head with the hour hand pointing towards the sun, and half-way between the hour hand and the figure XII will be the North. 75. Divide 100 into two parts, so that a quarter of one exceeds one-third of the other by 11. STRANGE BUT TRUE. 76. Two persons were born at the same place at the same moment of time; after an age of 50 years they both died also at the same place and at the same instant, yet one had lived 100 days more than the other. How was this remarkable event achieved? ASTRONOMICAL. 77. The planet Jupiter is five times further from the sun than our earth, and 1331 times larger. Assuming that the diameter of the earth is 7912 miles, find Jupiter’s diameter, circumference and area. AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM. One of the commercial questions of the day which remains to this time unsettled, is whether the fact of a gentleman having NO TIN may not have something to do with the answer he invariably sends of NOT IN when anyone calls on him with a bill. 78. Find nine numbers in arithmetical progression—common difference 3—whose sum is equal to 5670, and arrange in a square, each side containing three different numbers, so that, when added vertically, horizontally or diagonally, the sum of each three numbers will amount to 1890. _ 79. I have a box. The pieces forming the sides are 5 ft long, and those forming the ends are 4 ft. broad. The box, when measured externally all round, measures 18 ft 4 in., and when measured all round internally, measures 17 ft 8 in. How can this be? Teacher: “Who was it that supported the world on his shoulders?” Bright Pupil: “It was Atlas, ma’am.” Teacher: “And who supported Atlas?” Bright Pupil: “The book don’t say, but I s’pose it was his wife.” ON BOTH SIDES OF A DOOR THE MAN WHO FORGETS THE DOOR. Oh, there’s an individual who ev’rywhere abounds, Thro’ trains and shops and offices he makes his busy rounds, And in and out for ever he is going o’er and o’er, To keep somebody after him attending to the door! In sultry summer, when to catch a cooling breeze we’ve tried, And carefully have opened every door and window wide, ’Tis then you may be certain as he vanishes from sight, He’ll die but that he’ll shut the door—and close it very tight! But when the winds of winter come, with cold and biting breath, Oh, then it is the awful wretch is tickled ’most to death! His sense of pleasure reaches to a point that is sublime; He never fails to leave the door wide open every time! 80. A man agrees to work for £8 a year and a suit of clothes. He left at the end of seven months, and received £2 13s. 4d. and his clothes. What is the value of the suit? 81. A bought four horses for £120. For the second he gave £3 more than for the first, for the third £2 more than for the second, and for the fourth £6 more than the third. Find price of each. _ 82. With eight pieces of card of the shape of figure A, four of figure B and four of figure C, and of proportionate sizes, form a perfect square. 83. Place four 5’s so that they shall express 6½. “SHE” AGAIN. SOME LONG WORDS. The eight longest words in the language are philoprogenitiveness, incomprehensibleness, disproportionableness, transubstantiationalist, suticonstitutionalist, honourifibilitudinity, velocipedestrianistical, and proautionsubstantionist. The last four are not found in the best dictionaries, but that most hideous word, “Dacryocystosyringokatakleisis,” is in some of the new lexicons. HIS OWN GRANDFATHER. The complication of relationship brought about by marriage is the cause of many a family squabble, but it is seldom one hears of fatal results attending such matters. According to an American newspaper, a resident of Pennsylvania committed suicide a few days ago from a melancholy conviction that he was his own grandfather. The following is a copy of a singular letter he left:—“I married a widow who had a grown-up daughter. My father visited our house very often, fell in love with my step-daughter, and married her. So my father became my son-in-law and my step-daughter my mother, because she was my father’s wife. Some time afterwards my wife had a son; he was my father’s brother-in-law and my uncle, for he was the brother of my step-mother. My father’s wife—i.e., my step-daughter—had also a son; he was, of course, my brother, and in the meantime my grandchild, for he was the son of my daughter. My wife was my grandmother, because she was my mother’s mother. I was my wife’s husband and grandchild at the same time. And as the husband of a person’s grandmother is his grandfather, I was my own grandfather.” Thus he died, a martyr to his own existence. _ 85. If 100 stones are placed on the ground, in a straight line, at the distance of 1 yard from each other, how far will a person travel who will bring them all, one by one, to a basket placed one yard from the first stone? A little boy, writing a composition on the zebra, was requested to describe the animal and to mention what it was useful for. After deep reflection, he wrote:—“The zebra is like a horse, only striped. It is chiefly useful to illustrate the letter Z.” 86. I bought a horse and sold him again at 5 per cent. on my purchase; now, if I had given 5 per cent. less for the horse, and sold him for 1s. less, I would have gained 10 per cent. What was the original cost? 87. Find three numbers such that the first with half of the other two, the second with one-third of the other two, and the third with one-fourth of the other two, shall be equal to 34? THE FAMOUS “45” PUZZLE. 88. Take 45 from 45, and leave 45 as a remainder. There are at least two ways of doing this. 89. How can 45 be divided into 4 such parts that if you add 2 to the first part, subtract 2 from the second part, multiply the third part by 2, and divide the fourth part by 2, the sum of the addition, the remainder of the subtraction, the product of the multiplication, and the quotient of the division are equal? 90. The square of 45 is 2025, if we halve this we get 20/25 and 20 plus 25 equals 45. Find two other numbers of four figures that produce the same peculiarity. 91. A mother of a family being asked how many children she had, replied: “The joint ages of my husband and myself are at present six times the united ages of our children; two years ago their united ages were ten times less than ours, and in six years hence our joint ages will be three times theirs.” How many children had she? WHERE THE CREEDS AGREE. _ The Mahometans, Christians and Jews, with different creeds, are all striving to reach the same place—Heaven. Now, we will endeavour to show, by figures, that it is possible for them all to accomplish their purpose. The figures 4, 5, 6, at the angles of the large triangle, represent respectively the above mentioned sects. They are very distant from each other, but we will induce them to meet half-way. Thus, the Mahometans and Jews meet at 10, the Mahometans and Christians at 9, and the Jews and Christians at 11; and by joining these totals to the opposite numbers we see they all meet at last in Heaven (15). It should be mentioned that any numbers whatever may be used to represent the sects, but the result will always be the same. “SHE” ONCE MORE. 92. The country spark again addressed the charming “she.” This time he wished to know her height. She replied, “My height (in inches) if divided by the product of its digits, gives as quotient 2, and the digits are inverted by adding 27.” “You have a bright look, my boy,” said the visitor at the school. “Yes, sir,” replied the candid youth; “that’s because I forgot to rinse the soap off my face this morning.” HIS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT. _ 93. A father on his death-bed gave orders in his will that if his wife, who was then pregnant, brought forth a son, he should inherit two-thirds of his property, and the mother the remainder; but if she brought forth a daughter the latter should have only one-third, and the mother two-thirds. The widow, however, was delivered of twins,—a boy and a girl. What share ought each to have of the property left by the father, who had his life insured in the Australian Mutual Provident Society for £7,000. Money lent at 6 per cent To those who choose to borrow; How long before I’m worth a pound If I lend a crown to-morrow? A KEEN EYE TO BUSINESS. Upon the death of the senior partner of an Australian firm a notice of the sad event was sent to, amongst others, a German lithographic establishment. The clerk in this German house, who was instructed to answer the communication, wrote the following letter of condolence:— “We are greatly pained to hear of the loss sustained by your firm, and extend to you our heartiest sympathy. We notice the circular you sent us announcing Mr. S——’s death is lithographed by Messrs.——. We regret that you did not see your way to let us estimate for the printing of the same. The next time there is a bereavement in your house we will be glad to quote you for the lithographic circulars, and are confident that we can give you better work at less cost than anybody else in the business. Trusting that we may soon have an opportunity of quoting you our prices, we remain, with profound sympathy, yours truly,——.” An American journal, describing a new counterfeit bank-note, says the vignette is “cattle and hogs, with a church far in the distance”—a good illustration of the world. _ 95. On a square piece of paper mark 12 circles as shown in diagram. The puzzle is to divide the figure into four pieces of equal size, each piece to be of the same shape, and to contain three circles, without getting into any of them. THE ORIGIN OF THE “STONE.” Measurement of weight by the “stone” arose from the old custom farmers had of weighing wool with a stone. Every farmer kept a large stone at his farm for this purpose. When a dealer came along he balanced a plank on top of a wall, and put the stone on one end of it and the bags of wool on the other, until the weights were equal. At first the stones were of all sorts and sizes and weights, with the result that dealers who wished to make a living had to be remarkably knowing in their estimates of them. The many inconveniences involved by this inequality resulted in all stones being made of a uniform weight as far as wool was concerned. The weight of a stone of potatoes, meat, glass, cheese, &c., all differ. A little boy was reading in his Scottish history an account of the battle of Bannockburn. He read as follows: “And when the English army saw the new army on the hill behind, their spirits became damped.” The teacher asked him what was meant by “damping their spirits,” and the boy, not comprehending the meaning, simply answered, “Putting water in their whisky.” THUNDER AND LIGHTNING CALCULATION. 96. Between the earth and a thundercloud there are four currents of air, having a temperature of 87, 57, 47, and 37 degrees respectively. The first current is half the depth of the second, the second half the third, and the third half the fourth. If a peal of thunder is heard 2-3251/4256 seconds after the lightning flash, find the depth of the fourth current and the time occupied by the sound in passing through it. _ First cut out, with a pen-knife, in paste-board or card, The designs numbered 1, 2 and 3, Four of each; after which, as the puzzle is hard, You had better be guided by me To a certain extent; for, in fixing, take care That each portion is fitted in tight, Or they will not produce such a neat little square As they otherwise would if done right. QUITE PROPER. “What is a propaganda,” inquired the teacher. The boy looked at the ceiling, wrinkled his forehead, wrestled with the question a minute or two, and then answered that it was the brother of a proper goose. DECEMBER AND MAY. 98. An old man married a young woman; their united ages amounted to 100; the man’s age, multiplied by 4 and divided by 9 gives the woman’s age. What were their respective ages? 99. A and B set out on a walking expedition at the same time—A from Melbourne to Geelong, and B from Geelong to Melbourne. On reaching Geelong A immediately starts again for Melbourne. Now, A arrives at Geelong four hours after meeting B, but he reaches Melbourne three hours after their second meeting. In what time did each perform the journey? 100. What two numbers are those of which the square of the first plus the second equals 11, and the square of the second plus the first equals 7? A schoolmaster, describing a money-lender, says, “He serves you in the present tense, he lends you in the conditional mood, keeps you in the subjunctive mood, and ruins you in the future.” 101. “How much money have I,” says a father to his son. Son replied, “They don’t teach prophecy at our school.” “Well, they teach arithmetic, I suppose,” rejoined the father, smartly; “if you multiply one-half, one-third, one-fourth, one-sixth, three-quarters, and two-thirds of my money together, the product will be 10368. Now find out how many pence I have.” 102. A person has 1260 quarters of wheat. He sells one-fifth at a gain of 5 per cent., one-third at a gain of 8 per cent., and the remainder at a gain of 12 per cent. Had he sold the whole at a gain of 10 per cent. he would have made £23 2s. more than he did. Find the cost price of one quarter. 103. Is the word “with” ever used as a noun? THE GREAT PUZZLE OF THE CENTURY. 104. Place the nine digits (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) together in such a manner that they will make 100. 105. Also make 100 by using the cipher in addition to the digits. 106. How far apart should the knots of a log-line be to indicate every half-minute, a speed of one mile per hour? 107. Several persons are bound to pay the expenses of a law process, which amount to £800, but three of them being insolvent, the rest have £60 each to pay additional. How many persons were concerned? If five times four are thirty-three, What will the fourth of twenty be? 109. A locomotive with a truck is travelling over a straight level line at the rate of 60 miles an hour. A man standing at the extreme rear of the truck casts a small stone into the air in a perpendicular direction. The stone travels upward at an average rate of 30 feet per second for 3 seconds; the height of the man’s hand from ground when the stone leaves is 15 feet. At what distance behind the train will the stone strike the ground in its descent? A Tombstone in an English Cemetery. _ Many quaint and puzzling epitaphs are often to be seen engraved on several of the tombstones in some of the old cemeteries at Home. The adjoining illustration represents a tombstone in the old burial-ground of London—Kensal Green. It might “liven” up the reader to discover the scheme of kindred as given in the inscription. SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF EASILY ANSWERED. “Johnny,” said his teacher, “if your father can do a piece of work in seven days, and your uncle George can do it in nine days, how long would it take both of them to do it?” “They’d never get it done,” said Johnny; “they’d sit down and tell snake-yarns.” 110. A well is to be sunk by 12 men, in groups of 4 each, in 12 days. The groups work in the ratio of 6, 7, and 8; when half the task is done rain sets in and prevents them working for 2 days, in which time one man of the first, 2 of the second, and 3 of the third group go away, leaving the remainder to finish the job. What extra time did they work? “TAKE CARE OF THE PENCE, &c.” One of the most startling calculations is the following:— A penny at 5 per cent. compound interest from a.d. 1 to 1890 would amount to £10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, i.e., Ten Sextillions of pounds, or more money than could be contained in One Thousand Millions of Globes each equal to the Earth in magnitude, and all of solid gold. 111. On a flagstaff consisting of an upright pole (6 feet of which is underground) is a cross-yard 24 feet long; the latter is fixed at a distance of one-third of the length of the visible part of the pole from the top; passing from the top of the pole to the ends of the yard are ropes, forming stays whose falls or ends reach to the ground on either side of the pole, and it is found that these falls just reach the base of the pole. The total length of rope in the aforesaid stays is 40 feet. Supposing that the top diameter of the pole is one-third of that at the extreme base, and that the whole length of rope used is 54,177 times the base diameter of the pole, what would the pole cost at 1 penny per 100 cubic inches? Teacher—“Your writing is fairly good, but how do you account for making so many mistakes in your spelling?” Scholar—“Please, ma’am, I had chilblains on my hand?” 112. Put down 4 marks ( " " " " ), and then require a person to put 5 more marks and make 10. “KEEP YOUR HAIR ON.” 113. Supposing there are more persons in the world than anyone has hairs on his head, there must be at least two persons who have the same number of hairs on the head to a hair. Explain this. 114. Show what is wrong in the following:— 8-8 = 2-2, dividing both these equals by 2-2 the result must be equal; 8-8 divided by 2-2 = 4, and 2-2 divided by 2-2 = 1, therefore, since the quotients of equals divided by equals must be equal, 4 must be equal to 1. “GLAD TIDINGS.” Many will be surprised to hear that there is Scriptural authority for advertising. Advertising not only has Scriptural authority, but it is of very respectable antiquity as well. If you will look in Numbers XXIV., 14, you will find Balaam saying “Come now, and I will advertise,” and Boaz says in Ruth IV., 4, “And I thought to advertise.” |
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