COMPETITIONS CORNER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 228, 26 September 1928, Page 16

COMPETITIONS CORNER.

TESTS FOR OUR READERS.

In this corner we will give daily a problem for solution by our readers. Prizes will not be offered, the idea being to present the reading public with some brain-testing difficulties which each may smooth out to his satisfaction.

THE TOURNAMENT.

, 4 ,a^ ou, ite game at tournaments in former days was called "tilting at le ring. A knight would ride at full speed along the coitrse and try to catch on Ins lance a small ring suspended from a cord. i f avoul "ite_ sport of long ago has come a pretty puzzle. It is related that on one occasion Sir Bragwaine and Sir Bedivere "-were rivals in the tournament, and that Sir Bragwaine beat Sir Bedivere by six rings. J.dcli had his rings made into a chain to keep as a memento ctf the occasion. . r Bragwaine s chain was sixteen inches long and Sir Bedrvere's was six inches. Now the rings, of course, were all of the same size and were made of metal just half an inch thick. With these data known, and not forgetting how many rings better Sir Bragwaine was than Sir Bedivere, our problem is to discover how many rings each one won. Sir Bedivere is shown above making his first successful attempt at the ring.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM—OFFICE BOYS' LTTNCH.

>119 ft' Harry, Tom and .John were having lunch together. Harry had threa sandwiches and two pics, while Tom had three sandwiches and three cakes. John had nothing, but they agreed that they should share equally and that Johii should pay 1/3 for his portion. Two pies were worth three sandwiches, and six sandwiches were worth eight cakes. How should the 1/3 be divided between Harry and Tom?

Expressing the boys' cakes, pies and sandwiches in terms of cakes, we find that Harry contributed the value of

eight cakes and Tom tltac value of seven cakes. Then John established the total value of their refreshments by paying 1/3 for a one-third portion. Therefore Harry must be credited with a '24 penco, contribution and Tom -with one worth 21 pence. As each boy consumed 15 pence worth, Harry was entitled to a rebate of 9 pence and Tom to one of <> pence. John's 15 pence was thus equitably divided by Harry taking 9 pence and Tom 6 pence. To those who ask wliy Tom should 7 pence, sinca he contributed 7-15 of the lunch, we would reply: How could Tom have sold more than 6 pence worth of his 21 pence worth of food, since he ate 15 pence woirth?