homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Weekend


Subscriber content preview

January 28, 2005

Strange But True!

Q. When the shocked monks learned that Cellarer John had been stealing wine from the big 100-pint cask, he defended, "But I have taken only a pint per day for the month of June." "You thief, that's 30 pints!" "Not exactly, because each day I put back in a pint of water, to maintain the original level. If you can tell me EXACTLY how much wine I have taken, I will deem my punishment just." Could the monks comply?

A. What was the year and how much math did they know? After the first theft, explains H. E. Dudeney in "The Canterbury Puzzles," obviously 99 pints of wine remained in 100 pints of liquid. The wine concentration was now .99.


 
. . .


To read this story in full login or purchase a subscription.



Previous columns:



Email or user name:
Password:
 
Forgot password? Click here.