Problems from Another Time

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

A powerful, unvanquished, excellent black snake, 32 hastas in length, enters into a hole at the rate of 7 1/2 angulas in 5/14 of a day, and in the course of 1/4 of a day its tail grows 2 3/4 of an angula.

Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function - Joost Bürgi Introduces Logarithms

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

Three Numbers in France

I wish to find three numbers of such nature that the first and the second with 1/2 of the third makes 20...

Surveying a Field

I was employed to survey a field, which I was told was an exact geometrical square, but by reason of a river running through it, I can only obtain partial measurements.

Wooden Be Board

Given a wooden log of diameter 2 ch'ih 5 ts'un from which a 7 ts'un thick board is to be cut, what is the maximum possible width of the board?

Peano on Wronskians: A Translation - References

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

A Basket Case

Rabbits and pheasants are put in a basket.

Sum of a Series

What is the sum of the following series, carried to infinity: 11, 11/7, 11/49, etc.?

The Ruins of Persepolis

There are two columns in the ruins of Persepolis left standing upright; one is 70 ft. above the plane, and the other 50 ft;

Inscribed Circle

Given: a circle with an inscribed equilateral triangle. The triangle has sides which are 12 cubits long. What is the area of the circle?