# Problems from Another Time

Individual problems from throughout mathematics history, as well as articles that include problem sets for students.

A farmer sold a team of horses for $440, but did not receive his pay for them until 1 yr, 8 mo after the sale. He had at the same time another offer of$410 for them. Did he gain or lose by the sale and by how much, money being worth 6%/yr?
Having been given the sum of two numbers,a, and the difference of their squares,b, find the numbers.
There is a lion in a well whose depth is 50 palms. He climbs and slips back a certain amount each day. In how many days will he get out of the well?
Determine the greatest cylinder that can be inscribed in a given cone.
A square walled city measures 10 li on each side. At the center of each side is a gate. Two persons start walking from the center of the city.
A father wills his estate valued at \$40, 000 to his three children. Before the settlement one of the children dies. What should the other two receive?
Of the two water reeds, the one grows 3 feet and the other 1 foot on the first day. The growth of the first becomes every day half of that of the preceding day, while the other grows twice as much as on the day before.
The authors recount the 'great tale' of Napier's and Burgi's parallel development of logarithms and urge you to use it in class.
A lady being asked how old she was at the time of her marriage replied that the age of her oldest son was 13; that he was born 2 years after her marriage...
The cost per hour of running a certain steamboat is proportional to the cube of its velocity in still water. At what speed should it be run to make a trip up stream against a four-mile current most economically?