Problems from Another Time

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

Two men starting from the same point begin walking in different directions. Their rates of travel are in the ratio 7:3.

Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function - Introduction

The authors recount the 'great tale' of Napier's and Burgi's parallel development of logarithms and urge you to use it in class.

Landscaping

A person has a circular yard that is 150 ft. in diameter, and wishes a walk of equal width made round it within the fence...

Woodcutter

A woodcutter starts to fell a tree 4 feet in diameter, and cuts half way through. One face of the cut is horizontal, and the other face is inclined to the horizontal at an angle of 45 degrees. Find the volume of the wood cut out.

Round Pond in Rectangular Garden

A round pond sits in a rectangular garden. Its center is inaccessible; however, you know the distances from each corner of the garden to the circumference of the pond: 60, 52, 28, and 40 yards. What is the radius of the pond?

Peano on Wronskians: A Translation - Additional References in the Articles

How a translation of Peano's counterexample to the 'theorem' that a zero Wronskian implies linear dependence can help your differential equations students

Buying Wood

Three people buy timber together. One pays the merchant 5 coins, another 3 coins, and the last 2 coins.

Ladder Problem

If a ladder, placed 8 ft. from the base of a building 40 ft. high, just reached the top, how far must it be placed from the base of the building that it may reach a point 10 ft. from the top?

Oracle for Rent

An oracle ordered a prince to build a sacred building, whose space would be 400 cubits, the length being 6 cubits more than the width, and the width 3 cubits more than the height. Find the dimensions of the building.

'He Advanced Him 200 Lambs of Gold': The Pamiers Manuscript - Acceptance of Negative Solutions

Discussion of 15th century French manuscript, with translation of its problems, including one with negative solutions