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Problems from Another Time

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

How a translation of Peano's counterexample to the 'theorem' that a zero Wronskian implies linear dependence can help your differential equations students
Heron of Alexandria (ca 200) wrote on many aspects of applied mathematics.
Suppose a lighthouse is built on the top of a rock; the distance between a place of observation and that part of the rock level with the eye is 620 yds.
In a forest, a number of apes equal in number to the square of 1/8 of the total number of apes are noisy. The remaining 12 apes are on a nearby hill irritated. What is the total number of apes in the pack?
Discussion of 15th century French manuscript, with translation of its problems, including one with negative solutions
A fish sees a heron looking at him from across a pool, so he quickly swims towards the south. When he reaches the south side of the pool, he has the unwelcome surprise of meeting the heron.
A man went to a draper and bought a length of cloth 35 braccia long to make a suit of clothes.
Two circles, the sum of whose radii is a, are placed in the same plane with their centers at a distance 2a...
Three congruent circles of radius 6 inches are mutually tangent to one another. Compute the area enclosed between them.
Two cog-wheels, one having 26 cogs, and the other 20 cogs, run together. In how many revolutions of the larger wheel will the smaller gain in 12 revolutions?

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