Six ears of corn are in a hollow stump; how long will it take a squirrel to carry them all out if he takes out three ears a day?
Remark.—The “catch” is on the word ears. He takes out two ears on his head and one ear of corn each day; hence, it takes six days.
How to prove, by mathematical principles, that two unequal numbers are equal, as 4 = 2.
Method.—All will admit that 8 - 8 = 4 - 4. Divide both of these by 2 - 2, and the quotient will be equal. Thus,
| (8 - 8) | (4 - 4) | ||
| ———— | = | ————, | or 4 = 2 |
| (2 - 2) | (2 - 2) |
Supposing there are more persons in the world than any one has hairs on his head; then there must be at least two persons who have the same number of hairs on their head to a hair. Show how this is.
Place 17 little sticks—matches for instance—making 6 equal squares, as in the margin. Then remove 5 sticks, and leave three perfect squares of the same size.
Answer.—The method of doing this is indicated below this answer.
