LaGrange 1 of 22 The great mathematical puzzelist Samuel Loyd was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1841 (OConner).

He was the youngest of nine children. At the age of three, his family moved to New York where he attended public school (Carter). Sam Loyd got his start in the puzzle business with chess. At 14 years of age, Loyd started attending chess club with two of his older brothers. On April 14th, that same year, Loyd had his first chess problem published in the New York Saturday Courier. In 1856, the New York Clipper published another of his chess problems for which he won a prize (OConner). At first, all of Loyds puzzles were hobbies. After school he studied engineering and earned a license in steam and mechanical engineering (Loyd). For a time, Loyd supported himself as a plumbing contractor and the owner of a chain of music stores. He was also a skilled cartoonist and a self taught wood engraver (OConner). Plus, he was skilled in conjuring, mimicry, ventriloquism and silhouette cutting (Gardner). Eventually, Loyd left plumbing behind and focused on mathematical puzzles. He attended chess tournaments, wrote and edited mechanical journals along with his magazine entitled Sam Loyds Puzzle Magazine (OConner). For a while, he also edited the magazine Chess Monthly and the chess page of Scientific American (Gardner). P. T. Barnums Trick Donkey was invented by Sam Loyd and sold to Barnum in 1870 (OConner). This sale alone grossed $10,000 for Loyd (Carter). In 1878 Loyd published his one and only hard cover book Chess Strategy, which included all the chess problems published in Scientific American plus some new ones. There were 500 problems in all (OConner). Although famous for his chess problems Loyds popularity grew even more with his mathematical recreation puzzles. His most famous puzzle is also his most controversial. It is the 14-15 Sliding Puzzle. The puzzle was a sliding puzzle with 15 little tiles in a wooden tray that could fit 16 tiles. All the tiles were numbered in order from 1 to 13. The last two tiles were 15 and 14. The puzzle was to

LaGrange 2 of 22 move the tiles one at a time until all the tiles were in correct order from 1-15. Sam Loyd offered $1000 to the first person who could solve it correctly. Loyd claims to have invented the puzzle in 1878 (OConner). Others believe Loyd was not the first to invent the puzzle, switch the 14th and 15th tiles, or offer $1000 as prize money. Jerry Slocum, in 2006, released a book to Mathworld about the topic. According to him, the puzzle was already a huge craze by 1880 and Loyd did not start claiming it was his until 1890. He claims, the real inventor was Noyes Palmer Chapman who originally showed his friends the puzzle in 1874. Chapmans son is supposedly responsible for taking the puzzle to Connecticut. In Connecticut, students from the American School for the Deaf started manufacturing the puzzle in 1879 (Fifteen Puzzle). It is hard to say which man invented the puzzle since neither received a patent. Chapman tried to get a patent for the 14-15 problem but was unable because there was a patent given to Ernest U. Kinsey for a similar but different problem in 1878 (Fifteen puzzle). Sam Loyd also tried to receive a patent but was denied for the 14-15 problem. In order to receive a patent, Sam Loyd had to present a working model of the puzzle. When the patent commissioner found out the puzzle was unsolvable he claimed no working model exists so you cant have the patent (Carter). Even though the patent commissioner knew the puzzle was impossible, most did not. Whether it was Sam Loyd, Noyes Chapman, or someone else, the puzzle swept the world. In Germany, deputies in the Reichstag were caught playing the game. In America, employers had to post signs explaining the puzzle was not allowed to be played during business hours. And in France, it was deemed a greater scourge than alcohol or tobacco (OConner). Later on, Loyd revealed the only way the puzzle was solvable is by such skullduggery as turning the 6 and 9 blocks upside down (Carter).

LaGrange 3 of 22 For the rest of his life Loyd continued to make puzzles which he distributed many different ways. He would publish them in different papers, sell them through the circus, or publish them himself. Later in life, he also became a performer with his son. He and his son had a skit where his son would appear to read his fathers mind. But, in reality, his son was a good mime and Loyd a ventriloquist (OConner). In the 1890s, Loyd wrote a column of puzzles for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Then from 1904 until his death in 1911 he wrote a puzzle page for the Womans Home Companion (Gardner). Loyd died in his home at the age of 70 (OConner). In his obituary, published in the Times, it was said that he was fantastic in mathematical science, and, had he devoted himself to making use of it, might have earned fame as an investigator in the vast and political region of pure mathematics (OConner). But he didnt earn fame this way. He earned his fame as a puzzelist, leaving us with over 10,000 puzzles to solve (OConner). After Loyds death his son organized a compilation of all his fathers puzzles and created Sam Loyds Cyclopedia of 5,000 Puzzles Tricks and Conundrums (Gardner). The following is a sample of Sam Loyds most famous mathematical puzzles along with a system for solving and a solution. (Some of the following problems have been edited for simplicities sake.)

LaGrange 4 of 22 Sam Loyds Puzzles

School of Sea Serpents One sea captain claimed that while he was becalmed off Coney Island he was surrounded by a school of sea serpents, many of which were blind. Three could not look from their starboard blinkers, he reported, and three could not look to larboard. Three could look to starboard, three to larboard, three would look both to starboard and larboard, while three had both their optics out of commission. So it was duly entered on the logbook and duly sworn to that there were eighteen serpents in sight. But a couple of camera fiends who got a focus on the school of monsters have developed their negatives in a way that negatives the whole story and reduces the number of serpents to the minimum of possibilities. Just how many serpents belonged to that school? Solution: The sea captain described 6 different categories with 3 serpents in each. 1. cant see starboard 2. cant see larboard 3. see starboard 4. see larboard 5. see starboard and larboard 6. completely blind But these categories, or sets, are not disjoint. The 3 serpents in category 6 also qualify for categories 1 and 2, while the 3 serpents in category 5 also qualify for categories 3 and 4. So, the actually minimum amount of serpents necessary is 6; 3 who can see in both directions and 3 completely blind. The Man with the Hoe It appears that for five dollars Hobbs and Nobbs agreed to plant a field of potatoes for Farmer Snobbs. Nobbs can drop a row of potatoes in forty minutes and cover them at the same rate of speed. Hobbs, on the other hand, can drop a row in only twenty minutes, but while he is covering two rows, Nobbs can cover three. Assuming that both men work steadily until the entire field is planted, each man doing his own dropping and covering, and further, assuming that the field consists of twelve rows, how should the five dollars be divided so that each man is paid in proportion to the work accomplished. Solution: If both men worked at exactly the same rate then each would drop and cover 6 out of twelve rows and they would split the five dollars evenly. As a baseline first check how long it would take each brother to finish 6 rows. Nobbs to drop (40min)(6 rows) = 240 min to cover (40 min)(6 rows) = 240 min 240 + 240 = 480 min. So it will take Nobbs 480 min. to complete 6 rows. Hobbs to drop (20 min)(6 rows) = 120 min to cover (60 min)(6 rows) = 360 min

LaGrange 5 of 22

120 + 360 = 480 min. So it will take Hobbs 480 min. to complete 6 rows. Therefore although it wasnt obvious from the initial problem, Hobbs and Nobbs are working at the same rate over 6 rows so they should spilt the $5.00 evenly giving them each $2.50. The Three Brides Old Moneybags let it be known that he would endow his daughters with their weight in gold, so they were speedily suited with suitable suitors. All were married on the same day, and before weighing in partook of some exceedingly heavy wedding cake, which made the grooms very light-hearted. Collectively, the brides weighed three hundred and ninety-six pounds, but Nellie weighed ten pounds more than Kitty, and Minnie weighed ten pounds more than Nellie. One of the bridegrooms, John Brown, weighed just as much as his bride, while William Jones weighed half again as much as his bride, and Charles Robinson twice as much as his bride. The brides and grooms together weighed half a ton. The puzzle is to tell the full names of the three brides after they were married. Solution: Variables being used: N= Nellies weight M=Minnies weight K= Kittys weight J=Johns weight W= Williams weight C=Charles weight (all weight in pounds) Constraints of the problem: 1. N + K + M = 396 2. N = 10 + K 3. M = 10 + N 4. J = X X{ K, M} N, 5. W = 1.5(Y) Y{N,K,M} 6. C = 2(Z) Z{N,K,M} 7. N + K + M + J + W + C = 1000 lbs. Since N = 10 + K, M= 10 + (10 + K) = 20 + K. So, N + K + M = (10 + K) + K + (20 + K) = 30 + 3K = 396. Therefore K = 122. Since K = 122, N = 10 + 122 = 132 and M = 10 + 132 = 142 Now, N + K + M + J + W + C = 396 + J + W + C = 1000 so, J + W + C = 604. We also know, J { K, M}.So, J must be either, 122, 132, or 142. N, Case 1: Let J = 122. Then W + C = 482. So 1.5(Y) + 2(Z) = 482 The only way this can be true is if Y = 132 = N and Z = 142 = M. Therefore the married couples are John and Kitty Brown, William and Nellie Jones, Charles and Minnie Robinson. Uncle Sams Fob Chain I was shown a curious fob chain the other day, patterned after the old custom of carrying a string of coins attached to a watch. This particular chain consisted of four coins and the figure of an eagle. The coins were punched respectively with five, four, three, and two holes, so that the

LaGrange 6 of 22 small links which joined them together might have been placed differently, to furnish quite a variety of patterns. This feature of being able to produce a series of fob chains, each consisting of a string of four coins connecting the watch to the pendant eagle, gave rise to quite a discussion regarding the number of possible arrangements which can be made from the five pieces without any two being exactly similar. What is your opinion? Solution: The coin with 5 holes has 10 different positions; one for each hole with the coin facing forward and one for each hole with the coin facing backward. Likewise, the coin with 4 holes has 8 different positions. The coin with 3 holes has 6 different positions. The coin with 2 holes has 4 different positions. And the eagle with no holes has just two positions, front and back. All together this gives a total of (10)(8)(6)(4)(2) = 3840 different positions. In addition, the order of the coins can be changed. There are 4 possibilities for the first coin, 3 for the second, 2 for the third, and 1 for the fourth. So altogether there are (4)(3)(2)(1) = 24 different orders the coins can be in. So these different orders together with 3840 different positions, produces (3840)(24) = 92160 different ways this fob chain can be constructed. Trading Chickens A farmer and his good wife are at the market to trade their poultry for livestock on the basis of eighty-five chickens for a horse and a cow. It is understood that five horses are exactly equal in value to twelve cows. John, the wife said, let us take as many more horses as we already have selected. We will then have only seventeen horses and cows to feed through the winter. I think we should have more cows than that, replied her husband. Moreover, I find that if we double the number of cows we have picked, it would give us nineteen horses and cows in all, and we would have just enough chickens to trade for them. These unsophisticated country people knew nothing about algebra, yet they knew to a feather just how many chickens they had and the number of horses and cows they were to get. Our puzzlists are asked to determine, from the data given here, how many chickens the farmer and his wife took with them to the market. Solution: Variables being used: h = the number of horses selected before this conversation occurred c = the number of cows selected before this conversation occurred C = the number of chickens they have From the wifes statement we know 2h + c = 17. So, c = 17 2h. From the husbands statement we know h + 2c = 19. But h + 2c = h + 2(17 2h) = -3h + 34 = 19. Therefore h = 5. Plugging 5 back into the wifes statement lets us know c = 7. Now, 5h = 12c so, h = 2.4c and h + c = 85 chickens. Putting these two constraints together we see 3.4c = 85 chickens so 1 cow costs 25 chickens making 1 horse cost 60 chickens.

LaGrange 7 of 22 The husband said that if they bought what he wanted they would use all their chickens. So, using his statement, the total number of chickens necessary is 5(60) + 2(7)(25) = 650. Therefore the farmer and his wife brought 650 chickens to market.

The Hare and the Tortoise A sportive young hare and a tortoise raced in opposite directions around a circular track that was 100 yards in diameter. They started at the same spot, but the hare did not move until the tortoise had a start of one eighth of the distance (that is, the circumference of the circle). The hare held such a poor opinion of the others racing ability that he sauntered along, nibbling the grass until he met the tortoise. At this point the hare had gone one sixth of the distance. How many times faster than he went before must the hare now run in order to win the race? Solution: Variables being used: Rh = rate of hare Rt = rate of tortoise T = time First the tortoise traveled 3/24 of the circle. After that point both animals were traveling. After some time the animals meet. During the time that both animals were moving the tortoise traveled 17/24 of the circle and the hare traveled 4/24 of the circle. So we could write: Rh = (4/24)T and Rt = (17/24)T then, T = (24/4)Rh. Then Rt = (17/24)(24/4)Rh = (17/4)Rh. So it can be said that during this time the tortoise was traveling (17/4) times as fast as the hare. At this point the hare has 5/6 of the circle left while the tortoise only has 1/6 left. So in order to win, the hare has to go a little faster than 5 times as fast as the tortoise. 5(17/4) = 85/4. So, in other words, the hare has to go a little faster than 85/4 times faster than he was before. The Two Watches I started two watches at the same time and found that one of them went two minutes per hour too slow and the other went one minute per hour too fast. When I looked at them again, the faster one was exactly one hour ahead of the other. How long had the watches been running? Solution: Real time (hours) 1 2 3 4 5 Slow watch (minutes) 58 116 174 232 290 Fast watch (minutes) 61 122 183 244 305 Difference between watches (minutes) 3 6 9 12 15

Looking at this table, it is obvious that the difference between the slow watch and the fast watch is 3 times the number of hours that have elapsed since they were first wound. So if they were exactly one hour ahead of each other then 60/3 = 20 hours. So it had been 20 hours since the watches were wound.

LaGrange 8 of 22

Missing Numbers The archeologist is examining a complete problem in long division, engraved on a sandstone boulder. Due to weathering of the rock, most of the figures are no longer legible. Fortunately, the eight legible digits provide enough information to enable you to supply the missing figures. It really looks as if there should be scores of correct answers, yet so far as I am aware, only one satisfactory restoration of the problem has been suggested. What the archeologist saw:
b c 9 6 h d i k n 8 j 9 o q t a e 2 l 4 r u 5 f 3 g

m p 4 s v w

Solution: Step1. 9a = _ 2 So a must be 8 Step 2. 5(9) = 45 So p must be 5. We also know c must be an even number get the 4 next to p. Step 3. 3(9) = 27 So s must be 7 Step 4. Since there is no remainder w must be 7 and v must be 4 Step 5. When doing long division s would have been dragged down from the top. Since s is 7 then g must also be 7. Step 6. 4 + 5 = 9, so m must be 9 Step 7. Since m is 9, f must be 9. (same reasoning as step 5) Step 8. 9 + _ = _ 8 So j must be 9. Step 9. 8( _ ) + 7 = _ 9 So c has to be either 4 or 9. In Step 2 we said c has to be even, so c is 4. Step 10. We know b needs to be maximized. But, be cant be 9 because h 6. b cant be 8 because then k would be 1 and n would be 4 and that wouldnt work. So b must be 7. Step 11. Now that the divisor and quotient have been attained they can be multiplied together to get the dividend. Then the problem can be finished like any other division problem. Marthas Vineyard It is said that she [Martha] planted her vines according to custom, in rows nine feet apart, and cultivated them just like the others, yet, as the story goes, her little venture prospered and grew in a way that made Marthas Vineyard noted. She raised more grapes to the acre than any vineyard on the island and produced many new and valuable varieties. That is all there is to the story when it is reduced to plain facts. Nevertheless, without wishing to neither impeach Marthas skill nor question her sweetness which imparted the flavor

LaGrange 9 of 22 to her grapes, I wish to engraft a practical problem on her vines which may explain the reason for her wonderful success. How many grape vines, not closer than nine feet apart, can be set out in a square plot onesixteenth of an acre in size? The problem is a pretty one, well calculated to tax the ingenuity of our mathematicians, but not to compel a return to the long forgotten school books, occasion is taken to say that an acre is 208 feet and 710/1000 of a foot square, so that a sixteenth of an acre is 52 feet 2 inches square. This you will observe is somewhat different from the popular measurement which prevails in rural districts, where a plot 210 feet square is reckoned an acre. Solution:

Figure 1

Figure 2

52ft and 2in is actually 626 inches. So Martha's Vineyard is 626in square. Since the vines have to be 9ft apart, the perimeter of the property would have 16 vines on it. (shown in blue) Most farmers would then plant their vines in rows left to right, up and down, placing a vine at each intersection. (Figure 2) This would allow 25 vines to be planted at least nine feet apart from each other. Unfortunately a lot of space is wasted in this method. Instead the vines should be planted in diagonal rows again with the vies planted at the intersections.(Figure 1) Again the vines are all at least nine feet apart, but now no space is wasted and 41 vines were planted instead of only 25. Polar Bride On a recent expedition to the North Pole, a member of the exploring party attempted to capture for himself a bride. Natives of the region all sleep in bearskin sacks, and the custom is for the lovesick swain to creep in and steal the sack containing his prospective mate. In this case the lover had quite a distance to journey, but he made the trip there at a rate of five miles per hour, and returned with his burden at a rate of three miles per hour, taking exactly seven hours for the entire round trip. When he opened the sack to show the prize to his shipmates, he found that by mistake he had carried away the girls grandfather. The story is no doubt exaggerated, but will our experts tell us just how far the explorer traveled on this memorable journey? Solution: Variables being used: d = the distance from the ship to the natives t1= the time it took to go from the ship to the natives t2= the time it took to go from the natives to the ship From the problem we know d = 5(t1) = 3(t2). So t2 = (5/3)t1. We also know t1 + t2 = t1 + (5/3)t1 = 7. So t1 = 2.625 hours. Using this value for t1 we get, 5(2.625) = 13.125 = d.

LaGrange 10 of 22 But d is only a one way trip so it must be multiplied by 2 showing the total trip the explorer traveled was 26.25 miles. Weighing the Baby Mrs. OToole, being of an economical turn of mind, is trying to weigh herself, her baby, and her dog for one cent. If she weighs a hundred pounds more than the combined weights of dog and baby, and if the dog weighs sixty per cent less than the baby, can you determine how much the little cherub weighs? (The picture associated with this puzzle showed Mrs. OToole, holding the baby, on the scale along with the dog. The scale read 170 lbs.) Solution: Variables being used: d = weight of dog b = weight of baby w = weight of Mrs. OToole Constraints of the problem: d + b + w = 170 w = 100 + d + b d = b - .6b = .4b With this information we can write d + b + w = .4b + b + 100 + .4b + b = 170. Then, 100 + 2.8b = 170. Then, 2.8b = 70. So b = 25. If the baby weighs 25 pounds then .4(25) = 10 = d. If the baby weighs 25 pounds and the dog 10 pounds then 25 + 10 + 100 = 135 = w. Therefore, the woman, baby, and dog weigh 135, 25, and 10 pounds respectively. The Cat and Dog Race A trained cat and dog run a race, one hundred feet straight-away and return. The dog leaps three feet at each bound and the cat but two, but then she makes three leaps to his two. Now, under those circumstances, what are the possible outcomes of the race? Solution: The cat jumps in leaps each 2ft. long. So the cat will have to leap 50 times to the end of the straight away then turn around and leap 50 more times totaling 100 leaps. The dog jumps in leaps each 3ft. long. So the dog will have to leap 34 times to 2ft. past the end of the straight away then turn around and leap 34 more time totaling 68 leaps. Now, the puzzle states but then she makes three leaps to his two so there are two possibilities. Case 1: If the cat is female she jumps 2/3 faster than the dog so after the cat leaps 100 times the dog will have leaped (2/3)100 <67 times. Therefore the cat will win. Case 2: If the dog is female she jumps 2/3 faster than the cat so after the dog leaps 68 times the cat will have leaped (2/3)68 < 46 times. Therefore the dog will win.

LaGrange 11 of 22 What was the Profit? A dealer sold a bicycle for $50, then bought it back for $40, thereby clearly making $10 because he had the same bicycle back and $10 besides. Now having bought it for $40, he resold if for $45, and made $5 more, or $15 in all. But, says a bookkeeper, the man starts off with a wheel worth $50, and at the end of the second sale has just $55! How then could he make more than $5? You see the selling of the wheel at $50 is a mere exchange which shows neither profit nor loss, but when he buys at $40 and sells at $45, he makes $5, and that is all there is to it. I claim, says an accountant, that when he sells at $50 and buys back at $40, he has clearly and positively made $10, because he has the same wheel and $10, but when he now sells at $45 he makes that mere exchange referred to, which shows neither profit not loss. This does not affect his first profit so he has made exactly $10. It is a simple transaction which any scholar in the primary class should be able to figure out mentally, yet we are confronted by three different answers! Which in you opinion is right? Solution: For this problem it is best to write out mathematically what each scenario is. Case 1: 50 (1st sale) -40 (buy back) 10 then -40 (buy back) 45 (2nd sale) 5 then -40 (buy back) 45 (2nd sale) 5 Total profit 10 + 5 = 15

Case 2: -50 (price of wheel) 50 (1st sale) 0 Case 3: 50 (1st sale) -40 (buy back) 10 (own wheel)

Total profit 0 + 5 = 5

then

-40 (buy back) 45 (2nd sale) 5 (wheel)

Total profit 10 + 45 + 5 50 = 10

According to Sam Loyd the problem can not be answered in any satisfactory way because we do not know how much the dealer had to spend in order to acquire the bicycle in the first place. If you did know how much money the dealer had before the first sale you would simply add the number to 55 to get the total profit. The Great Columbus Problem How can the first player always win? It is simply a game to be played between two opponents who place eggs of uniform size alternately upon a square napkin. After an egg is placed it must not be moved or touched by another one. This continues until the napkin is so crowded that it is not possible to place another egg. The last person who placed an egg is the winner, and since the size of the napkin or the eggs, as well as the variable distances which may occur between them, are of no importance, it would seem as if the question of placing the last egg was a matter of luck or chance. Yet the first player can always win by a clever strategy which, as the great navigator remarked, is the easiest thing in the world when you are shown how! Solution:

LaGrange 12 of 22 Sam Loyd has many puzzles like this one. Usually the strategy to win is the same. When the winner of the game is the last one to accomplish a move the way for the second player to win is usually very simple. All they have to do is the exact same move on the opposite side of the board in a straight line the goes through the center of the game board. In a sense they are dividing the game board in half and doing the mirror image of their opponent. If their opponent is able to make a move they will too and win. So in order for the first player to win, they need to make a move that is not copy-able and will still divide the board into two equal parts. In this instance, the only way to do that is to take an egg, flatten the bottom, and place in the dead center of the napkin. Then player two could place an egg wherever they want. And then player two can copy that move on the opposite side of the board in a straight line through the upright egg. Then whatever move player two makes will be copy-able and player one will place the last egg and win. Two Turkeys Together these turkeys weigh twenty pounds, said the butcher. The little fellow sells for two cents a pound more than the big bird. Mrs. Smith bought the little one for 82 cents and Mrs. Brown paid $2.96 cents for the big turkey. How much did each gobbler weigh? Solution: Variables being used: B = weight of big turkey in pounds L = weight of little turkey in pounds X = price per pound of little turkey Constraints: B + L = 20 B, L > 0 82 = XL 296 = (X 2)B From B + L = 20, we know L = 20 B. From 296 = (X 2)B, we know B = (296)/(X 2) Using substitution: 82 = X(20 B) then 82 = (20X(X-2) 296X)/ (X 2) then 0 = 10X2 209X + 82 Solving for X, using the quadratic equation, reveals two possibilities for X. X is either 20.5 or .4. So we have to check both answers. Case 1: Let X = .4. Then 82 = .4L So L = 205. But this is impossible because the weight of the two turkeys combined was supposed to be 20 pounds. Case 2: Let X = 20.5. Then 82 = 20.5L So L = 4. We know both turkeys together weighed 20 pounds so B = 20 4 = 16. Therefore the little turkey weighed 4 pounds and the big turkey weighed 16 pounds.

LaGrange 13 of 22 Bixley to Quixley Here is a pretty problem which I figured out during a ride from Bixley to Quixley astride a razor-back mule. I asked Don Pedro, a native guide who walked ahead of me pulling the mule forward by its reins, if my steed had another gait. He said it had but that is was much slower, so I pursued my journey at uniform speed. To encourage Don Pedro, who was my chief propelling power, I said we would pass through Pixley, so as to get some liquid refreshment; and from that moment he could think of nothing but Pixley. After we had been traveling for forty minutes I asked how far we had gone. Don Pedro replied: Just half as far as it is to Pixley. After creeping along for seven miles more I asked: How far is it to Quixley? He replied as before: Just half as far as it is to Pixley. We arrived at Quixley in another hour, which induces me to ask you to determine the distance from Bixley to Quixley. Solution: This is a depiction of Sam Loyds experience on the mule. (not to scale.)

w/2 B X 40 min.

w P

z/2 Q Y

7 miles

B = Bixley P = Pixley Q = Quixley X = Where the first question was asked Y = Where the second question was asked z, and w = distance From this diagram we can see, the distance from X to Pixley is 2/3 the distance from Bixley to Pixley. Also, the distance from Y to Pixley is 2/3 the distance from Pixley to Quixley. Dived this way, the 7 miles from X to Y is 4/3 of the total distance out of a possible 6/3. So in reality the 7 miles is 2/3 of the total distance from Bixley to Quixley. If 7 miles is 2/3 of the total distance, then 3.5 is 1/3 of the total distance. So the total distance is 10.5 miles. Crows in the Corn Show how the eight crows settled on the corn with no three in a row. Take sixty-four points like the center of the squares of an 8 x 8 checkerboard, as represented by the hills of sprouting corn in the picture, and the puzzle is to place eight crows on such points that there are no two crows on the same row or diagonal; an so that the man with the gun, going around the field, would find it impossible to get a shot at three birds in a row. The puzzle is closely allied to my well-known problem of placing eight queens on a chess board so that none is attacked by another, but is an improvement upon the same. There is but one way of performing this feat, while to the other there are twelve different answers. Solution:

LaGrange 14 of 22

One way of solving this problem is using the backtracking method. It is a systematic way of making sure you have explored every possibility by going as far as you can with one choice, then backing up and starting again with a different choice. Although constructing a tree with all the possibilities may take some time, it will always provide the correct answer. The tree shown above is not complete, but it shows the root of the tree and the path that displays the correct answer. The bottommost grid, terminal vertex, is the correct answer to the problem. Weary Willie Weary Willie, a hobo who had outstayed his welcome at Joytown, started for Pleasantville simultaneously with the departure of Dusty Rhodes from Pleasantville. They met and exchanged the fraternal grip at a point where Willie had gone eighteen miles farther than

LaGrange 15 of 22 Dusty. After an affectionate parting, it took Willie thirteen and one-half hours to reach Pleasantville, and Dusty twenty-four hours to get to Joytown. Assuming that each hobo traveled at a constant rate, how far was it from Pleasantville to Joytown? Solution: Variables being used: J = Joytown P = Pleasantville x = miles Dusty traveled when hobos met T = time it took Willie and Dusty to get to where they met

18 + x J
24 hours fraternal grip shared

13 hours

P x

Willies information is written on the top, Dustys on the bottom. We can see, Willies rate was x/13.5 mi/hr Dustys rate was (18 + x)/24 mi/hr Since distance = rate(time) we can divide the distance they went by these rates to see how long it took. So, (18 + x)/(x/13.5) = (243 + 13.5x)/x = T (from Willies information) x/((18 + x)/24) = 24x/(18 + x) = T (from Dustys information) These times are the same so, (243 + 13.5x)/x = 24x/(18 + x). After some rearranging you get -5.25x2 + 243x + 2187 = 0 After using the quadratic equation you get two different possible answers. Case 1: (-243 + 324)/-10.5 This cant be the answer because then x would be negative, and Dusty could not have traveled negative miles when he met Willie. Case 2: (-243 -324)/-10.5 = 54 So Dusty had traveled 54 miles when he met Willie in the road. The total distance is (18 + x) + x = 18 + 54 + 54 = 126. So the distance between Joytown and Pleasantville is 126 miles. A Problem in Diamonds and Rubies It is worth knowing that diamonds increase in value according to the squares of their weights, while rubies increase according to the cubes of their weights. For example, if a fine diamond of one karat is worth $100, a two-karat stone of the same quality would be worth $400, a three-karate gem of equal purity would be worth $900. If a fine Oriental ruby of one karat is worth $200, a two-karat stone would be worth $1,600. A noted merchant, familiar with the diamond mines of Brazil, Cape Colony, and other quarters of the globe, showed me a pair of diamond earrings which he had exchanged for two diamonds of different sizes on the basis of a single karat being worth $100, as explained. Can you guess the size of the two stones of different sizes which he exchanged for a pair of earrings

LaGrange 16 of 22 of uniform size? Of course there are many answers, so you are asked to find the smallest possible sizes of the two stones which equal the value of two different sizes, without employing fractions of a karat. Solution: Variables being used: e = karat of diamond in earring d1 = karate of one diamond d2 = karat of the other diamond From the problem we see, 100(e2) + 100(e2) = 100(d12) + 100 (d22) then... 2 e2 = d12 + d22 Since we are looking for the smallest possible values we can make a table. e 2e2 d12 + d22 d12 d1 d22 d2 1 2 3 4 5 2 8 18 32 50 2 8 18 32 50 1 4 9 16 25 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 1 4 9 16 25 49 1 2 3 4 5 7

The first four rows arent the solution because the two diamonds had to be different sizes. The first time the equation is satisfied and the diamonds are different sizes is when e = 5. When e = 5, d1 = 1 and d2 = 7. So the merchant exchanged two diamonds, a 1 karat and a 7 karat, totaling $5000 for two earrings, each 5 karats, totaling $5000. Puzzleland Races Just to show how little many people who are infatuated with the races really know about the theory of chances, we ask the following simple question: If the odds are two to one against the hippopotamus and three to two against the rhinoceros, what should be the odds against the giraffe if everything is on the square, as it always is in Puzzleland? Here is a second puzzle connected with the same picture: If the giraffe can beat the rhinoceros one-eighth of a mile in a two mile race, and the rhinoceros can beat the hippopotamus one-quarter of a mile in a two mile race, by what distance could the giraffe beat the hippo in a two mile race? Solution: Hippo Odds against 2 to 1 Probability of winning 1/3 Rhino 3 to 2 2/5 Giraffe ? x

LaGrange 17 of 22 If the probability of winning for each animal is added up they should equal 1 since according to the problem the game is on the square. So (1/3) + (2/5) + x = 1. From this we see x = 4/15. If the probability of the giraffe winning is 4/15 then the odds against the giraffe are 11 to 4. In order to solve the second problem we need to assume some speed to the giraffe. Since the problem only gives ratios the speed we choose doesnt affect the final answer, it just gives a starting point. Assume the giraffe runs 2 mi/hr. The giraffe beats the rhino in a two mile race by 1/8 of a mile so the rhino runs 15/8 mi/hr. If the rhino runs 15/8 mi/hr then it would take 16/15 hours to run the 2 mile race. During that same 16/15 hours in the 2 mile race, the rhino would beat the hippo by of a mile. So the hippo runs 7/4 miles in 16/15 hours. If thats true then the hippo runs 105/64 miles in 1 hour. From our original assumption the giraffe runs 2 miles in 1 hour so all we have to do is subtract 2 (105/64) = 23/64 miles. So the giraffe would beat the hippo by 23/64 miles in a two mile race. Dickering at Manila A Chinese sailor man saunters into a rope store and asks, Can you direct me to a respectable shop where they sell good rope? The Japanese shopkeeper, swallowing the implied insult, says: I keep only the best, but my poorest is probably better than what you want. Show me the beat you have. It may serve until I find better. How much you ask for the cable rope? Seven dollars than hank, one hundred feet long. Too long rope and too much money. I never pay more than one dollar for good, and this is rotten. Standard rope, replies the storekeeper, showing the unbroken seal which guarantees the length and quality. If you have but little money, take what you want for two cents a foot. Cut off twenty feet, says the sailor, as he ostentatiously displays a five dollar gold piece to show that he can pay. The storekeeper measures off twenty feet with an exaggerated display of anxiety to give full measure. The sailor notices, however, that the yardstick is just three inches shy, having been cut off at the 33-inch mark. So when the rope was cut he coolly points to the long end and says: I take the eighty-foot piece. No, you need not send it. I carry it myself. Then he throws down the counterfeit fivedollar piece, which the storekeeper gets changed next door. As soon as the sailor gets his change he walks off with the rope. The puzzle is to tell how much the storekeeper has lost, assuming that he is called upon to make good the counterfeit five-dollar gold piece and that the rope was really worth two cents a foot. Solution: For this problem it is best to go through the scenario again, keeping track of the money as you go. The storekeeper used the deficient yardstick 6 times believing he has measured out 18 feet of rope when he actually only measured out 16.5. Then he measured an extra 2 feet of rope to bring the believed total to 20 feet. But in actuality the total amount of rope cut was 18.5 feet. Then the sailor says he wants the 80 foot piece which is actually 81.5 feet. 80 feet of rope at 2 cents a foot amounts to $1.60, but 81.5 feet of rope at 2 cents a foot amounts to $1.63. The sailor then pays $5.00 with the counterfeit. The storekeeper exchanges the counterfeit for real money. Then the storekeeper gives the sailor $3.40 back in change, keeping $1.60 for himself. After the sailor leaves the storekeeper is left to pay for the counterfeit $5.00 out of pocket.

LaGrange 18 of 22 So what really happened is, the storekeeper gained 1.60 (from the sale of the rope) lost -1.63 (worth of rope) lost -5.00 (had to payback neighbor) . -5.03 Therefore, the storekeeper has a net loss of $5.03.

Pick up two adjacent glasses at a time and in four moves change the positions so that each alternate glass will be empty. Solution:

6 Move 4-

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It is easy to see from these puzzles that Sam Loyd was a very smart man. As was mentioned above, after his death, his son compiled his works and printed the Cyclopedia. This Cyclopedia was quickly put together and therefore full of errors. In the late 50s early 60s Martin Gardner edited and then republished many of the mathematical puzzles from this Cyclopedia. Some believe Martin Gardner has single handedly sustained and nurtured interest in recreational mathematics in the U.S. for a large part of the 20th century. In addition to his two books on Sam Loyd he has written at least 58 other books based on recreational mathematics and pseudoscience. Plus, from 1956-1981 he wrote the Mathematical Games column in Scientific American magazine (Martin Gardner). When Martin Gardner retired in 1981, Douglas Hofstadter took over. He replaced Gardners column Mathematical Games with Metamagical Themas. One interesting concept he invented, which was introduced to the world in Metamagical Themas, is the book Reviews of This Book. It is a book that consists of cross referenced reviews about itself. Its a completely self referencing collection, or set, of articles, in a book (Hofstadter). Yet another mathematician trying to keep recreational mathematic alive is John Horton Conway. He contributed greatly to a theory of partisan games. He invented sprouts, philosophers football, and the game of life. He has analyzed the Soma cube game and peg solitaire. Plus, in 2006, he solved the famous Angel Problem (John Horton Conway). These men, and others, publish works in scientific journals. They thrive in scientific circles at respected universities. But, they fall short in one respect. Although these men have done their best with recreational mathematics none have matched what Sam Loyd accomplished. Why? Loyd created interesting puzzles with crazy stories attached to them as entertainment for the common man. His puzzles were for the circus goers and early morning newspaper readers.

LaGrange 20 of 22 Today recreational mathematics is for mathematicians and dedicated college students. What is left in our newspapers are crossword puzzles, sudoku, and other little brain teasers; nothing as clever as Samuel Loyds.

LaGrange 21 of 22 Works Cited

Carter, Phillip J., and Kenneth A. Russell. Mind Sharpening IQ Tests. New York: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., 1998. Dossey, John A., Albert D. Otto, Lawrence E. Spence, and Charles Vanden Eynden. Discrete Mathematics. 4th ed. New York: Addison Wesley, 2002. Douglas Hofstadter. Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 16 Feb. 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Hofstadter>. Fifteen Puzzle. Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 16 Feb. 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-puzzle>. Gardner, Martin. Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1959. Gardner, Martin. More Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1960. John Horton Conway. Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 16 Feb. 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Horton_Conway>. Loyd, Sam. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 16 Feb. 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049180>. Martin Gardner. Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 16 Feb. 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner>. OConner, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. Sam Loyd. The MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive. October 2003. University of St. Andrews Scotland. 16 Feb. 2007 < http://wwwhistory.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Loyd.html>. Sam Loyd. Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 16 Feb. 2007 <http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Loyd.>

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