Problems from Another Time

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

Discussion of 15th century French manuscript, with translation of its problems, including one with negative solutions
An official asks a woman why she has so many bowls to wash. The woman explains that she had dinner guests who ate meat, rice, and soup. Judging by the number of bowls, how many guests were there?
There is a regular pentagon. The length of its side is a. Find the area of the pentagon. Generalize your result for a nonagon.
I owe a man the following notes: one of $800 due May 16; one of$660 due on July 1; one of $940 due Sept. 29. He wishes to exchange them for two notes of$1200 each and wants one to fall due June 1. When should the other be due?
The purchase price for an apple and an orange is 100 yen. When n oranges and n + 3 apples are bought the price is 520 yen. Find the number n of oranges and the price of one orange.
A certain man had in his trade four weights with which he could weigh integral pounds from one up to 40. How many pounds was each weight?
Having been given the perimeter and perpendicular of a right angled triangle, it is required to find the triangle.
Given a semicircle, Prove that if O is the circle's center, DO=OE.
Determine the dimensions of the least isosceles triangle ACD that can circumscribe a given circle.
Of a collection of mango fruits, the king took 1/6; the queen 1/5 the remainder, and the three princes took 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 (of the same remainder); and the youngest child took the remaining 3 mangoes.