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Problems from Another Time

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

Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function - Bibliography
The authors recount the 'great tale' of Napier's and Burgi's parallel development of logarithms and urge you to use it in class.
Asking a Woman Her Age
A lady being asked how old she was at the time of her marriage replied that the age of her oldest son was 13; that he was born 2 years after her marriage...
Circle and Equilateral Triangle
A circle ABDC is circumscribed around an equilateral triangle ABC.  Prove that the straight line AD is equal to the sum of the two straight lines BD and DC.
If You Build It...
Given a triangular piece of land having two sides 10 yards in length and its base 12 yards, what is the largest square that can be constructed within this piece of land so that one of its sides lies along the base of the triangle?
'He Advanced Him 200 Lambs of Gold': The Pamiers Manuscript - A Synthesis of Mediterranean Methods
Discussion of 15th century French manuscript, with translation of its problems, including one with negative solutions
Monkeys in a Tree
A tree 100 units high is 200 units distant from a well; from this tree one monkey climbs down and goes to the well...
Compound Interest
Suppose a man had put out one cent at compound interest in 1620, what would have been the amount in 1824, allowing it to double once in 12 years?
What Are the Odds?
Suppose that the probability of success in an experiment is a/(a+b). How many trials of the experiment are necessary to insure even odds on it happening at least once?
Where Cosine Meets Tangent
Determine by using algebra the number of degrees in the angle A where: cos A = tan A
Distribution of the Mangoes
Of a collection of mango fruits, the king took 1/6; the queen 1/5 the remainder, and the three princes took 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 (of the same remainder); and the youngest child took the remaining 3 mangoes.

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