# 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?
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?
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.
Having been given the perimeter and perpendicular of a right angled triangle, it is required to find the triangle.
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.
Determine the dimensions of the least isosceles triangle ACD that can circumscribe a given circle.
In a square box that contains 1000 marbles, how many will it take to reach across the bottom of the box in a straight row?
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?
A rifle ball is fired through a three-inch plank, the resistance of which causes an unknown constant retardation of its velocity.