PUZZLES.
1. THE DIVIDED GARDEN.
A person let his house to several inmates, who occupied different floors, and having a garden attached to the house, he was desirous of dividing it among them. There were ten trees in the garden, and he was desirous of dividing it so that each of the five inmates should have an equal share of garden and two trees. How did he do it?
2. THE VERTICAL LINE PUZZLE.
Draw six vertical lines, as [below], and, by adding five other lines to them, let the whole form nine.
3. THE CARDBOARD PUZZLE.
Take a piece of cardboard or leather, of the shape and measurement indicated by the [diagram], cut it in such a manner that you yourself may pass through it, still keeping it in one piece.
4. THE BUTTON PUZZLE.
In the centre of a piece of leather make two parallel cuts with a penknife, and just below a small hole of the same width; then pass a piece of string under the slit and through the hole, as in the [figure], and tie two buttons much larger than the hole to the ends of the string. The puzzle is, to get the string out again without taking off the buttons.
5. THE CIRCLE PUZZLE.
Get a piece of cardboard, the size and shape of the [diagram], and punch in it twelve circles or holes in the position shown. The puzzle is, to cut the cardboard into four pieces of equal size, each piece to be of the same shape, and to contain three circles, without cutting into any of them.
6. THE CROSS PUZZLE.
Cut three pieces of paper to the shape of [No. 1], one to the shape of [No. 2], and one to that of [No. 3]. Let them be of proportional sizes. Then place the pieces together so as to form a cross.
7. THREE-SQUARE PUZZLE.
Cut seventeen slips of cardboard of equal lengths, and place them on a table to form six squares, as in the [diagram]. It is now required to take away five of the pieces, yet to leave but three perfect squares.
8. CYLINDER PUZZLE.
Cut a piece of cardboard about four inches long, of the shape of the [diagram], and make three holes in it as represented. The puzzle is, to make one piece of wood pass through, and also exactly to fill, each of the three holes.
9. THE NUNS.
Twenty-four nuns were arranged in a convent by night by a sister, to count nine each way, as in the [diagram]. Four of them went out for a walk by moonlight. How were the remainder placed in the square so as still to count nine each way? The four who went out returned, bringing with them four friends; how were they all placed still to count nine each way, and thus to deceive the sister, as to whether there were 20, 24, 28, or 32, in the square?
10. THE DOG PUZZLE.
The dogs are, by placing two lines upon them, to be suddenly aroused to life and made to run. Query, How and where should these lines be placed, and what should be the forms of them?
11. CUTTING OUT A CROSS.
How can be cut out of a single piece of paper, and with one cut of the scissors, a perfect cross, and all the other forms as shown in the [cuts]?
12. ANOTHER CROSS PUZZLE.
With three pieces of cardboard of the shape and size of [No. 1], and one each of [No. 2] and [3], to form a cross.
13. THE FOUNTAIN PUZZLE.
A is a wall, B C D three houses, and E F G three fountains or canals It is required to bring the water from E to D, from G to B, and from F to C, without one crossing the other, or passing outside of the wall A.
14. THE CABINET-MAKER’S PUZZLE.
A cabinet-maker had a circular piece of veneering, with which he has to veneer the tops of two oval stools; but it so happens that the area of the stools, exclusive of the hand-holes in the centre, and the circular piece, are the same, (as that of the circle.) How must he cut his stuff so as to be exactly sufficient for his purpose?
15. THE STRING AND BALLS PUZZLE.
Get an oblong strip of wood or ivory, and bore three holes in it, as shown in the [cut]. Then take a piece of twine, passing the two ends through the holes at the extremities, fastening them with a knot, and thread upon it two beads or rings, as depicted above. The puzzle is to get both beads on the same side, without removing the string from the holes, or untying the knots.
16. THE DOUBLE-HEADED PUZZLE.
Cut a circular piece of wood as in the [cut] No. 1, and four others, like No. 2. The puzzle consists in getting them all into the cross-shaped slit, until they look like Fig. 3.
17. THE ROW OF HALFPENCE.
Place ten halfpence in a row on the table. Then take up one of them and place it on another, never in any case passing over more than a penny (that is to say, two halfpence). Repeat the operation until no halfpenny remains by itself in the row.
18. TYPOGRAPHICAL ADVICE.
You are to read the following directions:—
If your B m t put :
When your IS . putting :
19. THE LANDLORD MADE TO PAY.
A well-known miser once invited his tenants to dinner at an inn, and to the surprise of the landlord, asked him to join the party. When the bill was brought in, the miser proposed that they should cast lots who should pay the whole score for the twenty-one persons who had dined. It was agreed that they should be counted by the days of the week, and that every time the counter called “Saturday,” the person so named should leave the room until there was only one man left, and he should be paymaster. How did the miser contrive to throw the expense on the landlord?
20. FATHER AND SON.
An old country squire planted a number of oaks when his son was born, and on the twenty-seventh birthday of the young man there was a tree for every year, and yet though there were only 27 trees, there were ten rows and six trees in each row, which made sixty, the age of the squire himself. How did he manage it?
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES.
1. THE DIVIDED GARDEN ANSWER.
2. ANSWER TO VERTICAL LINE PUZZLE.
3. ANSWER TO CUT CARD PUZZLE.
Double the cardboard or leather lengthways down the middle, and then cut first to the right, nearly to the end (the narrow way), and then to the left, and so on to the end of the card; then open it and cut down the middle, except the two ends. The diagram shows the proper cuttings. By opening the card or leather, a person may pass through it. A laurel leaf may be treated in the same manner.
4. ANSWER TO THE BUTTON PUZZLE.
Draw the narrow slip of the leather through the hole, and the string and buttons may be easily released.
5. ANSWER TO THE CIRCLE PUZZLE.
6. ANSWER TO THE CROSS PUZZLE.
7. ANSWER TO THE THREE-SQUARE PUZZLE.
Take away the pieces numbered 8, 10, 1, 3, 13, and three squares only will remain.
ANSWER TO NO. 8.
Take a round cylinder of the diameter of the circular hole, and of the height of the square hole. Having drawn a straight line across the end, dividing it into two equal parts, cut an equal section from either side to the edge of the circular base, a figure like that represented by the woodcut in the margin would then be produced, which would fulfil the required conditions.
9. ANSWER TO THE NUNS’ PUZZLE.
10. THE DOGS’ PUZZLE ANSWERED, SEE DOTTED LINES
11. ANSWER TO CUTTING OUT A CROSS PUZZLE.
Take a piece of writing paper about three times as long as it is broad, say six inches long and two wide. Fold the upper corner down, as shown in [Fig. 1]; then fold the other upper corner over the first, and it will appear as in [Fig. 2]; you next fold the paper in half lengthwise, and it will appear as in [Fig. 3]. Then the last fold is made lengthwise also, in the middle of the paper, and it will exhibit the form of [Fig. 4], which, when cut through with the scissors in the direction of the dotted line, will give all the forms mentioned.
12. ANSWER TO ANOTHER CROSS PUZZLE.
13. ANSWER TO THE FOUNTAIN PUZZLE.
14. ANSWER TO THE CABINET-MAKER’S PUZZLE.
The cabinet-maker must find the centre of the circle, and strike another circle, half the diameter of the first, and having the same centre. Then cut the whole into four parts, by means of two lines drawn at right angles to each other, then cut along the inner circle, and put the pieces together as in the above [diagram].
15. ANSWER TO THE STRING AND BALLS PUZZLE.
Draw the loop well down, slipping either ball through it. Push it through the hole at the extremities, pass it over the knot, and draw it through again. The same process must be repeated with the other ball; the loop can then be drawn through the hole in the centre, and the ball will slide along the cord until it reaches the other side. The string is then replaced, having both balls on the same side.
This plan of passing the loop over the knot is a key to all the puzzles of this nature.
There is another and perhaps a neater way of performing this trick. Draw the loop through the central hole, and bring it through far enough to pass one of the balls through. Having done this, draw the string back, and both balls will be found on the same side.
16. ANSWER TO THE DOUBLE-HEADED PUZZLE.
Arrange them side by side in the short arms of the cross, draw out the centre piece, and the rest will follow easily. The reversal of the same process will put them back again.
17. THE ROW OF HALFPENCE.
To perform this trick successfully, you must place the fourth on the first, seventh on the third, fifth upon the ninth, the second upon the sixth, and the eighth upon the tenth.
18. TYPOGRAPHICAL PUZZLE.
This puzzle should be read thus:—
If your grate be (great B) empty, put coal on.
When your grate is (great IS) full, stop putting coal on.
19. THE LANDLORD MADE TO PAY.
The counting, which stopped at every seventh man, was made to begin at the sixth from the landlord, who sat at the end of the table.
20. FATHER AND SON.
The trees were planted in this form:—
