Problems from Another Time

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

A circle, a square and an equilateral triangle all have the same perimeter equal to 1 meter. Compare their areas.

Find two numbers, x and y, such that their sum is 10 and x/y + y/x = 25

What is the perpendicular height of a cloud when its angles of elevation were 35 degrees and 64 degrees as taken by two observers?

Deer in the City

Now there are 100 deer [being distributed] in a city. If one household has one deer there is a remainder...Find the number of households in the city.

Cherry Blossom Poetry

On a day in spring a boy has gathered cherry blossoms under a cherry tree. Nearby a poet is reading some of his poems aloud. As he reads, the boy counts out the cherry blossoms, one blossom for each word of a poem.

A Successful Businessman

A certain merchant increases the value of his estate by 1/3...

Estate Will

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?

Out to Pasture 2

X, Y and Z hired a pasture for the season for $90.00. Each has a different number of mules and are on the pasture for a different number of days. How much is each to pay?

Fields of Grain

I have two fields of grain. From the first field I harvest 2/3 sila (a measurement of grain volume) per sar (a unit of area); from the second, 1/2 sila per sar.

Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function

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