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Buying Wood

Three people buy timber together.  One pays the merchant 5 coins, another 3 coins, and the last 2 coins.  It is found that in the transactions 4 coins are left over.  They wish to divide these proportionally among themselves.  How many coins should each person receive?

Suan shu shu (Writings on Reckoning), c. 180 BCE

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"Buying Wood," Convergence (March 2007)