You are here

Home » MAA Publications » Periodicals » Convergence » Problems from Another Time

Problems from Another Time

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

Circle, Square, and Triangle
A circle, a square and an equilateral triangle all have the same perimeter equal to 1 meter. Compare their areas.
Still More Numbers
Find two numbers, x and y, such that their sum is 10 and x/y + y/x = 25
Storm's a' Brewin'
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?
Pyramid Calculation
Given a pyramid 300 cubits high, with a square base 500 cubits to a side, determine the distance from the center of any side of the base to the apex.
A Wealth of Plantains
Twenty-three weary travelers entered a delightful forest. There they found 63 numerically equal piles of plantain fruit.
The Door is Ajar
A two door gate of unknown width is opened so that a 2 ts'un gap exists between the two doors.

Pages