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Problems from Another Time

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

Prove that a square circumscribed about a given circle is double in area to a square inscribed in the same circle.
Find the isosceles triangle of smallest area that circumscribes a circle of radius a.
What will the diameter of a sphere be, when its volume and surface area are expressed by the same number?
Knowing the base, b, and the altitude, a, of a triangle, find the expression for a side of the inscribed square.
Three men wish to buy a horse but none have a sufficient amount of money for the purchase; to do so, they must borrow from each other. How much money does each man have and what is the price of the horse?
A railway train strikes a snowdrift which creates a constant resistance. How long does it take the snow to stop the train?
Wanting to know the breadth of a river, I measured a base of 500 yards in a straight line close by one side of it.
Two men start walking at the same time and travel a distance. One is walking faster and completes the journey sooner. How fast did each man travel?
Two wine merchants enter Paris, one of them with 64 casks of wine, the other with 20.
The highest point of the Andes is about 4 miles above sea level.

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