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Problems from Another Time

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

Farmer's Best Deal
How many calves, goats and pigs did the farmer buy?
Traveling Men
Two men starting from the same point begin walking in different directions. Their rates of travel are in the ratio 7:3.
Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function - Introduction
The authors recount the 'great tale' of Napier's and Burgi's parallel development of logarithms and urge you to use it in class.
Landscaping
A person has a circular yard that is 150 ft. in diameter, and wishes a walk of equal width made round it within the fence...
Woodcutter
A woodcutter starts to fell a tree 4 feet in diameter, and cuts half way through. One face of the cut is horizontal, and the other face is inclined to the horizontal at an angle of 45 degrees. Find the volume of the wood cut out.
Breaking Bread
Divide 100 loaves of bread among 10 men including a boatman, a foreman, and a doorkeeper, who each receives double portions. What is the share of each?
Peano on Wronskians: A Translation - Conclusion
How a translation of Peano's counterexample to the 'theorem' that a zero Wronskian implies linear dependence can help your differential equations students
Buying Wood
Three people buy timber together. One pays the merchant 5 coins, another 3 coins, and the last 2 coins.
Ladder Problem
If a ladder, placed 8 ft. from the base of a building 40 ft. high, just reached the top, how far must it be placed from the base of the building that it may reach a point 10 ft. from the top?
Oracle for Rent
An oracle ordered a prince to build a sacred building, whose space would be 400 cubits, the length being 6 cubits more than the width, and the width 3 cubits more than the height. Find the dimensions of the building.

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