IN CASE IT IS WET

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 78, 20 December 1940, Page 47

IN CASE IT IS WET

E are hoping for the best. \X/ Christmas week will be fine and sunny everywhere except round the PP’s desk, where clouds gather weekly with unfailing regularity. But ... in case it is wet, some Christmas puzzles are offered. One correspondent remembered the festive season in time to post a bundle of suitable problems. Thank you, C.B., and an extra merry Christmas to you. All puzzlers please accept best wishes and our kindest thoughts for plenty of headaches during 1941, PROBLEMS Carol An observant Christmas shopper notited that the registration letters on six cars formed the title of a well-known carol. They passed him in this order: ANS 1920 TI 5139 AWA 1252 IS 2122 CHR 8151 -KE 0155" He wrote down the index letters with the numbers, in the order in which the letters spelt the title of the carol. Then he noticed that, if he numbered the letters of the alphabet according to their position, A-1, B-2, etc., the car numbers, in the order he had written them, represented letters which spelt two things that add to the gaiety of Christmas. It will help (says C.B., of Orangapai) to know that the total value of the letters in one of the words was 72 and in the other 118. What is the title of. the carol and what two things were represented by the numbers? Simple "Please tell readers," says R.G. (Waihi) of this problem, "that only simple arithmetic is required. Otherwise they will spend all night solving it." This is R.G.’s simple arithmetic problem: Here are six numbers4,784,887 2,494,651 8,595,087 1,385,287 9,042,451 9,406,087 Three of these, added together, form @ square number. Which three are they? Mystery Sum Harry Davey presents us with what looks like a mystery. He sends one of those Xercises in division we have been having, but adds to his note on it that "the whole clue to its restoration may be revealed if you look again-or you may have to work it out by other and obvious ways." Here it is. : ne ee XXX 6 ao XXXX 4358 | XXXXX 30506 A Christmas Recipe Take two-fifths of Cheer, two-sixths of Trifle, half of Star, two-sixths of Cinema, @ quarter of Cosy, two-fifths of Purse,

the middle of Riddle, two-sevenths of Raisins, and stir in one-sixth of Ginger. What is it? (asks C.B.). Your Christmas Turkey Want a Christmas turkey? You can get one from a hamper this way, C.B. suggests. All you have to do is change the ‘word "Hamper" into the word "Turkey" by changing one letter at a time. Each letter so changed must occupy the same position in the word as the letter it replaces. Here are clues to the changes in order: hamper, tentdweller, fault-finder, cutter, cut off, rounded, coiled, folded, some kettles are, roughened, charred, gas-jet, old Scots coin, old Irish coin, turkey. The Knight’s Tour This problem is sent by R.C.J.M., who acknowledges it to the recently published Penguin book of puzzles. Although we do not like borrowing from other publications we feel that this example may attract readers to an excellent source of diversion. In that connection, would readers please note that puzzles they find in current publications cannot be reproduced here without proper acknowledgment. Some we have had recently we discover (with the assistance of E.H.C. and Rob) have already been published this year in " Esquire." We have to make this belated acknowledgment and ask puzzlers to take care to be clear on a point of decency. R.C.J.M. explains that the problem from the Penguin book is a Knight’s Tour, dealing colloquially with the financial affairs of Bob and Bill. The first word is when. To find the solution, proceed as for the knight’s move in chess, As the problem does not end with the tour, puzzlers who do not play chess will have the satisfaction of working out the problem created by the answer when we print it. The chessboard appears at the top of this page. ANSWERS Division: H.G.L.’s problem added to the interest in this week’s mail. First came a wedding-cake sample tin, enclosing one cube, divided as required by

the problem. The cube was a piece of potato, and smelt somewhat earthy, but the problem had been solved correctly. Sender, anonymous. Then H.G.L. telegraphed his answer, with apologies for lateness. He wires: DRAW ONE DIAGONAL IN EACH FACE SUCH THAT ALL ARE INTERCONNECTED THESE DETERMINE THE FOUR PLANES OF CLEAVAGE ALONG WHICH FOUR CORNERS ARE SLICED OFF LEAVING A REGULAR TETRAHEDRON AS FIFTH TRIANGULAR PYRAMID APOLOGISE DELAY DID YOU SOLVE

Yes, H.G.L., with our potato merchant, For the Foreman: D.P.’s answer is that the marks should be 7’ 8", 12’ 7", 17’ 10", 21’, 25’, 29’, 33’, 39’ 3", and 42’ 2’ from the bottom.