Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney
page 15 of 735 (02%)
page 15 of 735 (02%)
|
is £98,765, 4s. 3½d. Now, try to discover the smallest sum of money
that can be written down under precisely the same conditions. There must be some value given for each denomination--pounds, shillings, pence, and farthings--and the nought may not be used. It requires just a little judgment and thought. 14.--SQUARE MONEY. "This is queer," said McCrank to his friend. "Twopence added to twopence is fourpence, and twopence multiplied by twopence is also fourpence." Of course, he was wrong in thinking you can multiply money by money. The multiplier must be regarded as an abstract number. It is true that two feet multiplied by two feet will make four square feet. Similarly, two pence multiplied by two pence will produce four square pence! And it will perplex the reader to say what a "square penny" is. But we will assume for the purposes of our puzzle that twopence multiplied by twopence is fourpence. Now, what two amounts of money will produce the next smallest possible result, the same in both cases, when added or multiplied in this manner? The two amounts need not be alike, but they must be those that can be paid in current coins of the realm. 15.--POCKET MONEY. What is the largest sum of money--all in current silver coins and no four-shilling piece--that I could have in my pocket without being able to give change for a half-sovereign? 16.--THE MILLIONAIRE'S PERPLEXITY. |
|