Problems from Another Time

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

A mouse is at the top of a poplar tree 60 braccia high, and a cat is on the ground at its foot. The mouse descends 1/2 a braccia a day and at night it turns back 1/6 of a braccia.

Investing in Apples and Pears

A merchant woman buys and sells apples and pears. How much did she invest in apples; how much in pears?

Maximization

Find the greatest value of y in a given equation.

Grain and Camels

A certain gentleman ordered that 90 measures of grain were to be transported from his house to another, 30 leucas distant.

Isoceles Trapezoid

Given the dimensions of an isosceles trapezoid, find the length of the transversal drawn parallel to the bases that divides the trapezoid into 2 equal areas.

A Snake in the Hole

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?