Queer Tricks

THE ENTERTAINERS LIBRARY N1
TRICKS a n d GAMES
AMUSING PROBLEMS
QUIBBLES a n d TRIFLES
EDITED BY A R C H IB ALD Rf.ITH
LONDON: F R A N C I S G R I F F I T H S
34 M a i d e n L a n e , S t r a n d , W.C.
From FRAN CIS GRIFFITH S LIST.
BRIDGE AND BRIDGE PLA YIN G. B y S. M . G L U C K S T E I N .
P a p e r, P r ic e is . n e t ; b y p o s t is . 2d.
A h a n d y an d c o n c ise m a n u a l o f th e ga m e , in c lu d in g A u ctio n
B rid g e , th e L a w s o f B rid g e , an d an In d ex .
C o n t e n t s : (1) In tro d u c to ry . (2) T h e G a m e . (3) M eth od o f
S co rin g. (4) T h e S tak es. (5) W h a t to A v o id . (6) T h e D e c la ra tio n .
(7) D o u b lin g a n d R e -d o u b lin g . (8) D o u b lin g o f N o -T ru m p s, (a) T h e
L e a d , (b) T h e L e a d . (9) R e tu rn in g th e L e a d . (10) D is c a rd s. (11)
U n b lo c k in r "Dioxr /\ TKo n m i o r I k\ TVig A d v e r
sa ries. (i- Etiquette.
(15) O n B r A u c tio n
B rid ge , (i
CRICKET
JH O R N .
W ritte n as re add ed
tw o , S u rre y ,
a lso
In this the grea t
n a tio n a l gc h e r. A s
fa r as the f a Ion
series o f r id newr.
p a p e rs o f c o lle cte d
a nd p u b lis
THE LOV
BLACK.
Pa
In th i rom th e
H a rle ia n :o A n n
B o le y n ; t\ h er la s'
le tte r to I to Jane
S e y m o u r, 1 h e p io u s
h o p e Cl she
O LD ENG WILL ALMA __ J. C O X .
M.I.M.C. (LONDON)
F o o lsca p 3. n e t ;
1. T H E C h r is to
ph er M arlo w e.
2. A W O M A N K I L L E D W I T H K I N D N E S S . B y T h o m a s H ey-
w ood.
3. E V E R Y M A N IN H I S H U M O U R . B y B en Joh n son .
4. T H E M A I D S T R A G E D Y . B y F r a n c is B e a u m o n t and John
F le tc h er.
T h e series is s p e c ia lly d esign e d fo r th e b o o k lo v e r an d stu d en t
a n x io u s to a c q u ire a k n o w le d g e o f th e d ra m a tic lite ra tu re o f the
E liz a b e th a n and J a c o b e a n eras.
LONDON : FRANCIS G R IFFIT H S, 34, MAIDEN LANE, STRAND, W.C.

QUEER T R IC K S IN
FIGURES
E d it e d b y
A R C H IB A L D R E IT H
I TRICKS A N D GAM ES
II A M U SIN G PROBLEMS
III PROBLEMS IN PROGRESSIONS
IV M A G IC SQUARES
V QUIBBLES A N D TR IFLES
L O N D O N : F R A N C IS G R IF F IT H S
34, MAIDEN LANE, STRAND, W.C.

The Entertainers Library.
Crown 8y o . Paper Coyers. Price 6d. net each.
By Post, 7d.
1. QUEER TRICKS IN FIGURES. N ow R eady.
2. THE RAPID CALCULATOR. N ow R eady.
3. EASY CARD TRICKS. R e a d y N o v e m b er, 1912.
4. EASY CONJURING TRICKS. R e a d y N o v e m b er, 1912.

5. THE BOOK OF PUZZLES. R e a d y D e ce m b e r, 1912.
6. DRAWING ROOM GAMES. R e a d y D e ce m b e r, 1912.
7. PHRENOLOGY: HOW TO READ THE HEAD.
In P re p a ra tio n .
8. PALMISTRY: HOW TO READ THE HAND.

In Preparation.
9. HOW TO MAKE AN EVENING GO. In P rep ara tio n .
London: Francis Griffiths, 34, Maiden L ane, Strand, W.C.

The State Library of Victoria
A L M A C O N JU R IN G C O L L E C T IO N
QUEER TRICKS IN FIGURES.
I.Tricks and Games
To Tell Any Number Thought Of.

A sk any person to think of a number, say a certain number
of shillings; tell him to borrow that sum of some one in
the company, and add the number borrowed to the amount
thought of. It will here be proper to name the person
who lends him the shillings, and to beg the one, who makes
the calculation, to do it with great care, as he may readily
fall into an error, especially the first time. T h en say to the
person, I do not lend you, but give you ro, add them
to the former sum . Continue in this m anner: Give the
half to the poor, and retain in your memory the other h a lf.'
T h en a d d : Return to the gentleman, or lady, what you
borrowed, and remember that the sum lent you, was exactly
equal to the number thought o f . A sk the person if he
knows exactly what rem ains; he will answer Y e s . Y o u
must then say, * A nd I know also the number that rem ains;
it is equal to what I am going to conceal in my h an d . Put
into one of your hands 5 pieces of money, and desire the
person to tell how many you have got. H e will answer
5 ; upon which open your hand and shew him the 5 pieces.
Y o u may then say, I well knew that your result was 5 ;
but if you had thought of a very large number, for exam ple,
two or three millions, the result would have been much
greater, but my hand would not have held a number of
pieces equal to the rem ainder. T h e person then suppos
ing that the result of the calculation must be different,
according to the difference of the number thought of, will
6 QUEER T R IC K S IN F IG U R E S
imagine, that it is necessary to know the last number, in
order to guess the resu lt: but this idea is fa ls e ; for, in the
case which we have here supposed, whatever be the number
thought of, the remainder must always be 5. T h e reason
of this is as follow s: T h e sum, the half of which is given
to the poor, is nothing else than twice the number thought
of, plus 10 ; and when the poor have received their part,
there remains only the number thought of, plus 5 ; but the
number thought of is cut off when the sum borrowed is
returned, and, consequently, there remain only 5.
It may be hence seen, that the result may be easily
known, since it will be the half of the number given in the
third part of the operation; for example, whatever be the
number thought of, the remainder will be 36, or 25, accord
ing as 72 or 50 have been given. If this trick be performed
several times successively, the number given in the third
part of the operation must be always different; for if the
result were several times the same, the deception might be
discovered. When the five first parts of the calculation
for obtaining a result are finished; it will be best not to
name it at first, but to continue the operation, to render
it more com plex, by saying, for exam ple: 1 D ouble the
remainder, deduct two, add three, take the fourth p a rt,
& c. ; and the different steps of the calculation may be
kept in mind, in order to know how much the first result
has been increased or dim inished. T his irregular process
never fails to confound those who attempt to follow it.
A SECO N D M ETHOD.
Bid the person take 1 from the number thought of, and
then double the remainder j desire him to take 1 from this
double, and to add to it the number thought o f ; in the
flast place, ask him the number arising from this addition,
and if you add 3 to it, the third of the sum will be the
number thought of. T h e application of this rule is so easy,
that it is needless to illustrate it by an example.
QUEER T R IC K S IN F IG U R E S 7
A T H IR D M E TH O D .
D esire the person to add 1 to the triple of the number

thought of, and to m ultiply the sum by 3 : then bid him add
to this product the number thought of, and the result will
be a sum, from which if 3 be subtracted, the remainder
will be ten times of the number requ ired ; and if the cipher
on the right be cut off from the remainder, the other figure
will indicate the number sought.
E xam p le: L et the number thought of be 6, the triple
of which is 1 8 ; and if 1 be added, it makes 1 9 ; the triple
of this last number is 57, and if 6 be added, it makes 63,
from which if 3 be subtracted, the remainder will be 60:
now, if the cipher on the right be cut off, the remaining
figure, 6, will be the number required.
A FOURTH M ETHOD.
Bid the person multiply the number thought of by its e lf;

then desire him to add r to the number thought of, and to
multiply it also by its e lf; in the last place, ask him to tell
the difference of these two products, which will certainly
be an odd number, and the least half of it will be the
number required.
L et the number thought of, for example, be 10 ; which
m ultiplied by itself gives 100; in the next place, ro increased
by 1 is i r , which multiplied by itself, makes 121 ; and the
difference of these two squares is 21, the least half of which,
being 10, is the number thought of.
T h is operation might be varied by desiring the person
to multiply the second number by itself, after it has been
diminished by r. In th is'case, the number thought of will
be equal to the greater half of the difference of the two
squares.
Thus, in the preceding exam ple, the square of the number
thought of is 100, and that of the same number, less 1,
is 8 1 ; the difference of these is 1 9 ; the greater h alf of
which, or ro, is the number thought of.
To Tell Two or More Numbers Thought Of.

If one or more of the numbers thought of be greater
than g, we must distinguish two cases; that in which the
number of the numbers thought of is odd, and that in which
it is even.
In the first case, ask the sum of the first and second;
of the second and th ird ; the third and fourth; and so on to
the la s t; and then the sum of the first and the last. H aving
written down all these sums in order, add together all those,
the places of which are odd, as the first, the third, the
fifth, & c . ; make another sum of all those, the places of
which are even, as the second, the fourth, the sixth, & c . ;
subtract this sum from the former, and the remainder will
be the double of the first number. L et us suppose for
example, that the five following numbers are thought of,
3, 7, 13, 17, 20, which, when added two and two as above,
give 10, 20, 30, 37, 23: the sum of the first, third, and fifth
is 63, and that of the second and fourth is 57 ; if 57 be
subtracted from 63, the remainder 6 will be the double of
the first number, 3. Now if 3 be taken from 10, the first
of the sums, the remainder 7 will be the second num ber;
and by proceeding in this manner, we may find all the rest.
In the second case, that is to say, if the number of the
numbers thought of be even, you must ask and write down,
as above, the sum of the first and the secon d ; that of the
second and th ird ; and so on, as before: but instead of the
sum of the first and the last, you must take that of the
second and la s t; then add together those which stand in
the even places, and form them into a new sum a p a rt; add
also those in the odd places, the first excepted, and subtract
this sum from the former, the remainder will be the double
of the second n um ber; and if the second number, thus
found, be subtracted from the sum of the first and second,
you will have the first num ber; if it be taken from that of
the second and third, it will give the third, and so of the
rest. L et the numbers thought of be, for example, 3, 7,
13, T7 : the sums formed as above are 10, 20, 30, 24; the
sum of the second and fourth is 44, from which if 30, the
QUEER T R IC K S IX F IG U R E S 9
third, be subtracted, the remainder will be 14, the double

o f 7, the second number. T h e first, therefore, is 3, the
third 13, and the fourth 17.
When each of the numbers thought of does not exceed 9,
they may be easily found in the foilowing m anner: H aving
made the person add 1 to the double of the first number
thought of, desire him to multiply the whole by 5, and to
add to the product the second number. If there be a third,
m ake him double this first sum and add 1 to i t : after which,
desire him to m ultiply the new sum by 5, and to add to it
the third number. If there be a fourth, proceed in the
seme manner, desiring him to double the preceding sum ;
to add to it 1 ; to m ultiply by 5 ; to add the fourth number,
and so on.
Then ask the number arising from the addition of the
last number thought of, and if there were two numbers,
subtract 5 from i t ; if there were three, 5 5 ; if there were
four, 5 5 5 ; and so o n ; for the remainder will be composed
of figures, of which the first on the left will be the first
number thought of, the next the second, and so on.
Suppose the number thought of to be 3, 4, 6 : by adding
1 to 6, the double of the first, we shall have 7, which being
multiplied by 5, will give 3 5 ; if 4, the second number
thought of, be then added, we shall have 39, which doubled
gives 78, and if we add 1, and m ultiply 79, the sum, by
5 , the result will be 395. I n the last place, if we add 6 ,
the number thought of, the sum will be 4 0 1; and if 55 be
deducted from it, we shall have for remainder 346, the
figures of which, 3, 4, 6, indicate in order the three numbers
thought of.
Tlie Game of the Ring.

T h is gam e is an application of one of the methods em
ployed to tell several numbers thought of, and ought to
be perform ed in a com pany not exceeding nine, in order
that it may be less com plex. D esire any one of the com pany
to take a ring, and put it on any joint of whatever finger
he may think proper. T h e question then is, to tell what
person has the ring, and on what hand, what finger, and
on what joint.
F or this purpose you must call the first person i , the
second 2, the third 3, and so on. Y o u must also denote
the ten fingers of the two hands, by the following numbers
of the natural progression, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & c. beginning
at the thumb of the right hand, and ending at that of the
left, that by this order the number of the finger may, at
the same time, indicate the hand. In the last place, the
joints must be denoted by 1, 2, 3, beginning at the points
of the fingers.
T o render the solution of this problem more explicit,
let us suppose that the fourth person in the company has
the ring on the sixth finger, that is to say, on the little finger
of the left hand, and on the second joint of that finger.
Desire some one to double the number expressing the
person which in this case will give 8 ; bid him add 5 to
this double, and multiply the sum by 5, which will make
65 ; then tell him to add to this product the number denoting
6
the finger, that is to say, , by which means you will have
71 : and, in the last place, desire him to m ultiply the last
number by 10, and to add to the product the number of
the joint, 2 ; the last result will be 7 1 2 ; if from this number
you deduct 250, the remainder will be 462; the first figure
of which, on the left, will denote the person; the next,
the finger, and consequently the han d ; and the last, the
joint.
It must here be observed, that when the last result
contains a cipher, which would have happened in the
present example, had the number of the finger been 10,
you must privately subtract from the figure preceding the
cipher, and assign the value of 10 to the cipher itself.
To tell by a Watcli Dial, the Hour when a Person

intends to rise.
T h e person is told to set the hands o f his watch at any
hour he pleases, which hour he tells y o u ; and you add
QUEER T R IC K S IN F IG U R E S
on your own mind 12 to it. Y o u then desire him to count

privately the number of that addition on the dial, com m enc
ing at the next hour to that at which he intends to rise,
and including the hour at which he has placed the hand,
which will give the answer. F o r exam ple: A intends to
rise at 6 (this he conceals to him self); he places the hand
at 8, which he tells B, who, in his own mind, adds 12 to
8, which makes 20. B then tells A to count 20 on the
dial, beginning at the next hour at which he proposes to
rise : which will be 7, and counting backwards, reckoning
eacn hom 1, and including in his addition the number
of the hour the hand is placed at, the addition will end
at 6, which is the hour p rop osed ; thus,
T h e hour the hand is placed at is .............................. 8
T h e next hour to that which A intends to rise at
is 7, winch counts for .............................................................. r
Count back the hours from 6, and reckon them at
1 each, there will be 11 hours, viz. 4, 3, 2, 1, 12, 11,
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, ........................................................................ 11
M aking ................................... 20
Any Number being- cliosen, by Adding a Figure

to that Number to make it Divisible by 9.
If the number named be, for example, 72,857, you tell
him who names it to place the number 7 between any two
figures of that sum, and it will be divisible by 9. F or if
any number be multiplied by 9, the sum of the figures of
the product will be either 9, or a number divisible by 9.
But the sum of the figures named is 29, therefore 7 must be
added to it to make it divisible by 9.
This trick may be diversified by specifying, before the
sum is named, the particular place were the figure shall
be inserted, to make the number divisible by 9.
i2 QUEER T R IC K S IN F IG U R E S
To Find the Difference between Two Numbers,

the Greater of which is Unknown.
T a ke as many nines as there are figures in the smaller
number, and subtract that sum from the number of nines.
L e t another person add the difference to the larger number,
and taking away the first figure of the amount, add it to
the last figure, and that sum w ill be the difference of the
two numbers. E x a m p le : Joh n , who is 22, tells Thom as,
who is older, that he can discover the difference of their
ages; he therefore privately deducts 22. from 99 (his age
consisting of two figures, he of course takes two n in e s);
the difference which is 77, he tells Thom as to add to his
age, and to take away the first figure from the amount, and
add it to the last figure, and that w ill be the difference of
their ages; th u s:
T h e difference between Jo h n s age and 99 is ............... 77
T o which Thom as adding his age ..................................... 35
T h e sum is ................................. 112

Then by taking away the first figure 1, and adding
it to the figure 2, the sum is .................................................... 13
W hich added to Jo h n s age ................................................... 22
Gives the age of Thom as ........................................................... 35
The Cancelled Figure Guessed.

T o tell the figure a person has struck out of the sum
of two (given num bers: Command those numbers only,
that are divisible by 9 ; such, for instance, as 36, 63, 81,
117, 126, 162, 261, 315, 360, and 432. Th e n let a person
choose any two of these num bers; and after adding them
together in his mind, strike out from the sum any one of
the figures he pleases. A fter he has so done, desire him
to tell you the sum of the remaining figures; and it follows,
that the number which you are obliged to add to this
amount, in order to make it 9 or 18, is the one he struck
out. T h u s, suppose he chose the numbers T62 and 261,
making together 423, and that he strike out the centre figure,
the two other figures w ill, added together, make 7, w hich,
to make 9 requires 2, the number struck out.
The Money Game.

A person having in one hand a piece of gold, and in
the other a piece of silve r, you may tell in w hich hand he
has the gold, and in w hich the silver, by the following
m ethod: Some value, represented by an even number,
such as 8, must be assigned to the gold, and a value repre
sented by an odd number, such as 3, must be assigned to
the s ilv e r; after w hich, desire the person to m ultiply the
number in the right hand by any even number whatever,
such as 2 ; and that in the left by an odd number, as 3 ;
then bid him add together the two products, and if the whole
sum be odd, the gold w ill be in the right hand, and the
silver in the le f t ; if the sum be even, the contrary w ill be
the case.
T o conceal the artifice better, it w ill be sufficient to ask
whether the sum of the two products can be halved without
a rem ainder; for in that case the total w ill be even, and
in the contrary case odd.
I t may be readily seen that the pieces, instead of being
in the two hands of the same person, may be supposed to
be in the hands of two persons, one of whom has the even
number, or piece of gold, and the other the odd number,
or piece of silver. T h e same operations may then be
performed in regard to these two persons, as are performed
in regard to the two hands of the same person, calling the
one privately the right, and the other the left.
A Person having an Equal Number o f Counters

or Pieces o f Money, in Eacli Hand, to find how
m any he has Altogether.
Desire the person to convey any number, as 4 , for
exam ple, from one hand to the other, and then ask him
how many times the less number is contained in the greater.
L e t us suppose that he says the one is triple of the o th e r;
and in this case m ultiply 4, the number of the counters

conveyed from one hand into the other, by 3, and add to
the product the same number, 4, which w ill make 16. In
the last place, from the number 3 subtract unity, and if 16
be divided by 2, the remainder, the quotient 8 w ill be the
number contained in each hand, and consequently the whole
number is 16.
L e t us now suppose that when four counters are conveyed
from one hand to the other, the less number is contained
in the greater 2i tim e s; in this case we must, as before,
m ultiply 4 by 2 J, which w ill give 9 ^ ; to which if 4 be
added, we shall have 13J or -*g- ; if unity be then taken
from 2 J, the remainder w ill be i i or -f , by which if -\n- be
divided, the quotient 10, w ill be the number of counters
ii\ each hand, as may be easily proved on trial.
Three Cards being1 presented to Three Persons,

to Guess That which Each has Chosen.
A s it is necessary that the cards presented to the three
persons should be distinguished, we w ill call the first A ,
the second B , and the third C ; but the three persons may
be at liberty to choose any of them at pleasure. T h is
choice, which is susceptible of six different varieties having
been made, give to the first person 12 counters, to the
second 24, and to the third 3 6 : then desire the first person
to add together the h alf of the counters of the person who
has chosen the card A , the third of those of the person who
has chosen B , and the fourth part of those of the person
who has chosen C , and ask the sum, which must be either
23 or 2 4 ; 25 or 2 7 ; 28 or 29, as in the following tab le:
F irs t. Second. T h ird . Sums.
12 24 36
A B C 23
A C B 24
B A C 25
C A B 27
B C A 28
C B A 29
QUEER T R IC K S IN F IG U R E S iS
T h is table shews, that if the sum be 25, for example,
the first person must have chosen the card B , the second
the card A , and the third the card C ; and that if it be 28,
the first person must have chosen the card B , the second
rhe card C , and the third the card A , and so of the rest.
Several Cards being' presented, in Succession, to

Several Persons, th a t they may Each choose One
at pleasure; to Guess th a t w hich Each has
Thought of.
Shew as many cards to each person as there are persons
to choose; that is to say, 3 to each if there are 3 persons.
When the first has thought of one, lay aside the three cards
in w hich he has made his choice. Present the same
rum ber to the second person, to think of one, and lay aside
the three cards in the like m anner. H avin g done the same
in regard to the third person, spread out the three first
cards with their faces upwards, and place above them the
next three cards, and above these the last three, that all
the cards may thus be disposed in three heaps, each con
sisting of three cards. Th e n ask each person in which
heap the card is of w hich he thought, and when this is
known it w ill be easy to tell these cards, for that of the first
person w ill be the first in the heap to which it belongs;
that of the second w ill be the second of the next heap,
and that of the third w ill be the third of the last heap.
Several Nvijinbers being disposed in a Circular

Form , according to th eir n a tu ra l series, to te ll
th at w hich Anyone has Thought of.
T h e first ten cards of any suit disposed in a circu lar
form , as seen in the figure below, m ay be employed w ith
great convenience for performing what is announced in this
problem. T h e ace is here represented by the letter A annex
ed to r , and the ten by the letter K joined to 10.
3
2 c 4
B D
iA E5
ioK F6
I G
9 H 7
8
H avin g desired the person who has thought of a number
or card to touch also any other number or card, bid him
add to the number of the card touched, the number of the
cards employed, which in this case is io . T h e n desire him
to count that sum in an order contrary to that of the natural
numbers, beginning at the card he touched, and assigning
to that card the number of the one which he thought o f ;
for by counting in this manner, he w ill end at the number
or card which he thought of, and consequently you w ill
easily know it.
T h u s for example if the person has thought of the number

3, marked C , and has touched 6, marked F ; if io be added
to 6 , it w ill make 16 ; if 16 be then counted from F , (the
person must not count this sum aloud, but privately in his
own mind) the number touched, towards E . D . C. B . A .
and so on in the retrograde order, counting 3, the number
thought of, on F , 4 on E , 5 on D , 6 on C, and so round
to 16, the number 16 w ill terminate on C , and show that
the person thought of 3, which corresponds to C .
R e m a rk s: 1. A greater or less number of cards may

be employed at pleasure. I f there are 15 or 8 cards, 15
or 8 must be added to the number of the card touched.
2. T o conceal the artifice better, you may invert the

cards, so as to prevent the spots from being seen; but you
must remember the natural series of the cards, and the
place of the first number, or the ace, that you may know
the number of the card touched, in order to find the one
to which the person ought to count.
T h irty Soldiers having deserted, so to place them

in a King1, th at you may save any F ifteen you
please, and it sh all seem the Effect of Chance.
T h is Recreation is usually proposed in these te rm s: It
once happened that fifteen Christians and fifteen T u rk s
being in a ship at sea, in a violent tempest, it was deemed
necessary to throw half the number of persons overboard,
in order to disburden the ship, and save the rest. To
effect th is, w ith some appearance of equity, it was agreed
to be done by lot, in such a m anner, that the persons being
placed in a ring, every ninth man should be cast into the
sea, until one h alf of them were thrown overboard. Now
the P ilo t, being a C hristian , was desirous of saving those
of his own persuasion ; how ought- he therefore to dispose of
the crew, so that the lot might always fa ll upon the T u rk s ?
T h is question may be resolved, by placing the men ac
cording to the numbers annexed to the vowels in the words
of the following v e rse ;
Po-pu-le-am jir-gam M a-ter Re-gi-na fe-re-bat.
4 5 2 1 3 1 r 2 2 3 1 2 2 1
from which it appears, that you must place four of those
you would save fir s t; then five of those you would have
perish. A fte r this, two of those to be saved, and then one
who is to perish, and so on. W hen this is done, you must
enter the ring formed by the men, and beginning with the
first of the four men you intend to save, count on to the
ninth man, and turn him out to be punished; then counting
on, in like manner, to the next ninth m an, turn him out to be
punished in like manner, and so on for the rest, until the
fifteen are turned o u t.
I t is reported of Josephus, the author of the Jewish
H isto ry , that he escaped death by practically working this
pro blem ; for being governor of Joppa, at the time it was
taken by the Rom an emperor Vespasian, he was obliged
to secrete him self with th irty or forty of his soldiers in a
cave, where they made a firm resolution to perish by famine
rather than fa ll into the hands of the conqueror. Bu t
being at length driven to great distress, they would have
destroyed each other for sustenance, had not -Josephus

persuaded them to die by lo t ; which he so ordered, that
all of them were killed except him self and another, whom
he might easily destroy, or persuade to yield to the Rom ans.
The Magic Century.

I f the number n be m ultiplied by any one of the nine
digits, the two figures of the product w ill always be alike,
as appears from the following exam ple:
ii ii ii ii ii ii ii ii ii .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
_ 11 22 3344 55 66 7788 99
Now, if another person and yourself have fifty counters
a-piece, and agree never to stake more than ten at a time,
you may tell him , that if he w ill permit you to stake first,
you w ill always undertake to make the even century before
him.
In order to do this, you must first stake one, and remember
the order of the above series, constantly add to what he
stakes as many as w ill make one more than the numbers
11, 22, 33, & c, of which it is composed, till you come to
9 9 ; after w hich, the other party cannot possibly make the
even century him self, or prevent you from making it.
I f the person who is your opponent has no knowledge
of numbers, you may stake any other number first, under
10, provided you afterwards take care to secure one of
the last terms, 56, 67, 78, & c. or you may even let him
stake first, provided you take care afterwards to secure
one of these numbers.
T h is recreation may be performed with other numbers,
but, in order to succeed, you must divide the number to be
attained, by a number which is a unit greater than what
you can stake each tim e ; and the remainder w ill then be
the number you must first stake. Suppose, for example,
the number to be attained is 52 (m aking use of a pack of
cards instead of counters) and that you are never to add
more than s ix ; then dividing 52 by 7, the remainder which is
3 w ill be the number you must stake firs t; and whatever

the other stakes, you must add as much to it as w ill make
it equal to 7, the number by which you d iv id e d ; and so on.
The Game of the Bag.

T o let a person select several numbers out of a bag, and
to tell him the number which shall exactly divide the sum
of those he has cho sen : Provide a sm all bag, divided into
two parts, into one of which put several tickets, numbered
6, 9, 15, 36, 63, 120, 213, 309, & c .; and in the other part
put as many other tickets, m arked No. 3 only. D raw a
handful of tickets from the first p art, and after shewing them
to the company, put them into the bag again, and having
opened it a second tim e, desire any one to take out as
friany tickets as he thinks p ro p er; when he has done that,
you open privately the other part of the bag, and tell him to
take out of it one ticket only. Y o u may safely pronounce
that the ticket shall contain the number by which the amount
of the other numbers is d iv isib le ; for, as each of these
numbers can be m ultiplied by 3, their sum total must,
evidently, be divisible by that number. A n ingenious mind
may easily diversify this exercise, by m arking the tickets
in one part of the bag, with any numbers that are divisible
by 9 only, the properties of both 9 and 3 being the sam e;
and it should never be exhibited to the same company
twice without being varied.
Different, yet the Same.

W rite down three very different lines of figures, and an
nounce that you can divide them among three persons w ith
out altering the amounts. Yo u can prove, in one adding up,
that each ones share w ill be the same, and that they w ill
not be much the richer for it.
In w riting down the figures, select only those whose
20 Q U E ER TRICK S IN FIG UR ES
digits when added together make the same sum in each case,
as in the following exam ple:
431211 = 12
7320 = 12
129 = 12
The Mysterious Sum.

W rite down four rows of dots, and under them a line
of figures as in the following exam ple:
19 9 9 9
In vite someone to insert any figures he pleases in the
first and third rows, one figure for every dot.
3 7 2 1
6 2 7 8
19 9 9 9 8
Yo u w ill then immediately fill up the other two lines,
and on adding the four lines together the amount w ill be
the original sum.
Explanation. T h e last line written beforehand, was only
the amount of two rows of five nines.
9 9 9 9 9
9 9 9 9 9
19 9 9 9 8
A s the person is almost certain to write other figures than
these, all you have to do is to put down those that w ill
nine.
supply his deficiencies to make his figures each equal to
Q U E E R TRICK S IN FIG U R ES 21
F o r instance if the first figure of the first row is 3, and of

the third row 2, begin the second row with 6 and the fourth
with 7, by which means the four lines w ill be equivalent
to two rows of nines, and the previously declared amount
be verified.
Another Mysterious Sum.

T o give a person his choice out of three or four rows of
figures, which shall be written down for h im ; to let him
m ultiply the row he chooses, by any num ber; to let him
suppress or rub out any of the figu res; and even to alter
the arrangement of the rest, to let him show the figures that
rem ain ; and to tell him then what figures he has suppressed.
Suppose the following sets of figures are given to choose
from , v iz .:
3 6 4 8 5 1
2 3 4 7 6 5
8 2 3 6 4 4
which are all divisible by 9 without a rem ainder, though
the person must not be told s o ; and suppose he chooses the
third line, and m ultiplies it by 6, the product w ill likewise
be divisible by 9 without a remainder. Now supposing he
suppresses the 6, then the sum of the remaining digits is 30,
which contains three 9 s and 3 o v e r; which 3, wants 6 to
make up 9, and therefore 6 was the figure suppressed.
When the sum of the digits, remaining after the sup
pression of a figure, is divisible by 9 without a rem ainder,
then the figure suppressed must be either 9 or o.
Two Persons selecting Two Numbers, and M u lti

plying Them Together, by K now ing the Last
Figure of the Product, to Tell the Other Figures.
I f the number 73 be m ultiplied by the numbers of the
following arithm etical progression, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21,
24, and 27, their products w ill terminate with the nine digits
in this order, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ; the numbers being as
follows, 219, 438, 657, 876, 1095, 1314, 1533, 1752, 1971;
therefore put into one of the divisions of divided bag,
several tickets marked with the number 73, and in the other
part of the bag the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24,
and 27.
Th e n open that part of the bag which contains the
numbers 73, and ask someone to take out one ticket only,
then quickly change the opening, and invite another person
to take a ticket, and when you have m ultiplied their two
numbers together, by knowing the last figure of the product,
you w ill readily tell them by the foregoing series, what the
other figures are.
A P a ir of Dice being- Thrown, to Find the

Number of Points on Each Die w ith o u t Seeing
Them.
T e ll the person who cast the dice to double the number
of points upon one of them, and add 5 to i t ; then, to
m ultiply the sum produced by 5, and add to the product the
number of points upon the other die. T h is being done,
desire him to tell you the amount, and having thrown out 25,
the remainder w ill be a number consisting of two figures,
the first of which to the left, is the number of points on the
first die, and the second figure to the right, the number on
the other.
Th u s suppose the number of points of the first die which
comes up, to be 2, and that of the other 3 ; then, if to 4, the
double of the points of the first there be added 5, and the
sum produced, 9, be m ultiplied by 5, the product w ill be
4 5 ; to which if 3, the number of points on the other die, be
added, 48 w ill be produced, from which if 25 be subtracted,
23 w ill rem ain ; the first figure of which is 2, the number of
on the other.
points on the first die, and the second figure 3, the number
An A rithm etical Trick w ith Cards.

T a k e a pack of cards, place the first card on the table,
with the back to y o u ; look at i t ; if it is a seven, put 5 more
cards on the top, making 15 in num ber; if it is a king,
knave, or queen, place 2 cards on the top as befo re; if an
ace, 11, and so on, till the pack is laid out (always making
12 in number). I f any cards remain that w ill not make 12,
lay them separate from the rest. Now, supposing you have
6 heaps, and 3 odd cards, strike off 4 heaps, and m ultiply
the remainder to add to the following card. It may be
readily seen that it is needless to reckon the kings, which
are counted 13. I f any spots remain at the last card, sub
tract them from 13, and the remainder w ill indicate the
spots of the card that has been d raw n ; if the remainder be
i i , it lias been a k n a v e ; if 12 it has been a queen; but if
nothing rem ains, it has been a king. T h e colour of the
king may be known by exam ining w hich one among the
cards is wanting.
I f you are desirous of employing only 32 cards, the
number used at present for piquet, when the cards are added
the remaining 2 heaps by 13, adding in the 3 odd cards,
which would make 2 9 ; then turn up all the heaps face to
you, count the pips, and there w ill be 29! (taking no notice
of the odd cards after you have added them in ). I f there
are xo heaps, and no odd cards, or 12 heaps, and 2 odd
cards, always cut off 4 h eap s; and m ultiply the remaining
heaps by 13, as before. Court cards count as ten.
To Guess the Number of Spots on any Card, w hich

a Person has Drawn from a W hole Pack.
T a k e a whole pack, consisting of 52 cards, and desire
some person in company to draw out any one at pleasure,
without shewing it. H avin g assigned to the different cards
their usual value, according to their spots, c a ll the knave 11,
and queen 12, and the king 13. T h e n add the spots o f the
first card to those of the second; the last sum to the spots
of the third, and so on, always rejecting 13, and keeping
as above directed, reject all the te n s; then add 4 to the spots

of the last card, and a sum w ill be obtained, which taken
from 10, if it be less, or from 20 if it exceeds 10, the re
mainder w ill be the number of the card that has been draw n ;
so that if 2 remains, it has been a knave, if 3 a queen, if 4
a king, and so on.
I f the pack be incomplete, attention must be paid to those
deficient, in order that the number of the spots of a ll the
cards wanting may be added to the last sum, after as many
tens as possible have been subtracted from i t ; and the sum
arising from this addition must, as before, be taken from
10 or 20, according as it is greater or less than 10. It is
evident that by again looking at the cards, the one which
has been drawn may be discovered.
T h e demonstration of this rule is as follow s: since, in a
complete pack of cards, there are 13 of each suit, the values
of which are 1, 2, 3, & c ., to 13, the sum of all the spots of
each suit, calling the knave 11, the queen 12, and the king
13, is seven times 13 or 91, which is a m ultiple of 1 3 ; con
sequently the quadruple of this sum is a multiple of 13 a lso ;
if the spots then of all the cards be added together, always
rejecting 13, we must at last find the remainder equal to
nothing. It is therefore evident that if a card, the spots of
which are less than 13, has been drawn from the pack, the
difference between these spots and 13 w ill be what is wanting
to complete that num ber; if at the end then, instead of
reaching 13, we reach only 10, for example, it is evident that
the card wanting is a th re e ; and if we reach T3, it is also
evident that the card wanting is one of those equivalent to
13, or a king.
I f two cards have been drawn from the pack, we may
tell, in like manner, the number of spots which they contain
both together; that is , how much is wanting to reach 13,
or that deficiency increased by 1 3 ; and to know which two,
nothing is necessary but to count privately how many times
13 has been completed, for with the whole of the cards it
ought to be counted 28 tim e s; if it be counted therefore
only 27 times, with a remainder, as 7 for example, the spots
of the two cards drawn amount together to 6 ; if 13 be
counted only 26 times, with the same rem ainder, it may be
concluded that the two cards formed together 13 + 6 , or 19.
T h e demonstration of the rule given when the same
number of cards is used, as that employed for the game of
piquet, v iz ., 32 cards, calling the ace 1, the knave 2, the
queen 3, the king 4, and assigning to the other cards the
value of their spots, is attended with as little d ifficu lty;
for in each suit there are 44 spots, making altogether 176,
w hich, as well as 44, is a m ultiple of n ; we may therefore
always count to 11, rejecting n , and the number wanting
to reach 11, w ill be the value of the card which has been
drawn.
B u t the same number 176, if 4 were added to it, would be
a m ultiple of 10 or of 2 0 ; and hence a demonstration also
of the method which has been taught.
A Person 1raving' Drawn, from a Complete Pack

of fifty-tw o Cards, one, tw o, three, fo u r, or more
Cards, to Guess tlie W hole Number of the Spots
w hich they contain.
Assume any number whatever, such as 15, for example,
greater than the number of the spots of the highest card,
counting the knave n , the queen 12, and the king 13, and
desire the person to add as many cards from the p ack, to the
first card he has chosen, as w ill make up 15, counting the
spots of that c a rd ; let him do the same thing in regard to the
second, the third, the fourth, & c .; and then desire him to
te ll how many cards remain in the pack. W hen this is done,
proceed as follows :
M ultiply the above number 15, or any other that may
have been assumed, by the number of cards drawn from the
pack, w hich we shall here suppose to be th re e ; to the
product, 45, add the number of these cards, which w ill give
4 8 ; subtract the 48 from 52, and take the rem ainder 4,
from the cards left in the p a c k ; the result w ill be the number
of spots required.
L e t us suppose, for example, that the person has drawn
from the pack, a 7, a 10, and a knave, which is equal to 11:

to make up the number 15 with a 7, eight cards w ill be
req uired; to make up the same number with a 10, w ill re
quire fiv e ; and with the knave, which is equal to 11, four
w ill be necessary. T h e sum of these three numbers, with
the three cards, makes 20, and consequently 32 cards re
m ain in the pack. T o find the sum of the numbers, 7, 10,
11, m ultiply 15 by 3, which w ill give 4 5 ; and if the number
of the cards drawn from the pack be added, the sum w ill
be 48, which taken from 52, leaves 4. I f 4 then be sub
tracted from 32, the remainder, 28, w ill be the sum of the
spots contained on the three cards drawn from the pack,
as may be easily proved by trial.
Another 'Example. L e t us suppose two cards only drawn
from the pack, a 4 and a king, equal to 1 3 ; if cards be
added to these to make up 15, there w ill remain in the pack
37 cards.
I f 15 be m ultiplied by 2, the product w ill be 30, to which
if 2, the number of the cards drawn from the pack, be added,
we shall have 3 2 ; and if 32 be taken from 52, the remainder
w ill be 20. In the last place, if 20 be subtracted from 37,
the number of the cards left in the pack, the remainder, 17,
w ill be the number of the spots of the 2 cards drawn from
the pack.
Remarks. I . I f 4 or 5 cards are drawn from the pack,
it may sometimes happen that a sufficient number w ill not
be left to make up the number 1 5 ; but even in this case
the operation may still be performed. F o r example, if 5
cards, the spots contained on which are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, have
been d raw n ; to complete with each of these cards the number
15 would require, together with the 5 cards, at least 6 5 ;
but as there are only 52, there are consequently 13 too few.
H e who counts the pack must therefore say that 13 are
wanting.
On the other hand, he who undertakes to tell the number
of the spots, must m ultiply 15 by 5, which makes 7 5 ; and to
this if 5, the number of the cards, be added, it w ill give 8 0 ;
that is to say, 28 more than 5 2 ; if 13 then be subtracted by
28, the remainder, 15, w ill be the number of spots contained

on these 5 cards.
But if we suppose that the cards left in the pack are, for
example, 22, which would be the case if the five cards drawn
were the 8, 9, 10, k n a v e = n , and q u e e n = iz , it would be
necessary to add these 22 to the excess of 5 times 15 + 5,
over 52, that is to say to 28, and we should have 50 for the
spots of these 5 cards, which is indeed the exact number of
them.
I I . I f the pack consists not of 52 cards, but of 40, for
example, there w ill still be no difference in the operation;
the number of the cards, which remain of these 40, must be
taken from the sum produced by m ultiplying the made-up
number by that of the cards drawn, and adding to the
product the number of these cards.
L e t us suppose, for example, that the cards drawn are 9,
10, i r , that the number to be made up is 12, and that the
cards left in the pack are 31. T h e n 12 x 3 = 36, and 3 added
for the three cards, makes 39, which subtracted from 40
leaves 1. I f one then be taken from 31, the remainder 30
w ill be the number of the spots required.
I I I . D ifferent numbers to be made up with the spots of
each card chosen might be assum ed; but the case would still
be the same, only that it would be necessary to add these
three numbers to that of the cards, instead of m ultiplying the
same number by the number of cards drawn, and then
adding the number of the cards. In this there is so little
difficulty, that an example is not necessary.
I V . T h e demonstration of this method, which some of
our readers perhaps may be desirous of seeing, is exceed
ingly simple, and is as follows. L e t a be the number of
cards in the pack, c the number to be made up by adding
cards to the spots of each card drawn, and b the cards
left in the p a c k ; let x , y , z express the spots of the cards,
which we shall here suppose to be 3, and we shall then
have, for the number of the cards drawn, c x + c y + c
- z + 3 ; which with the cards left in the pack b, must be
equal to the whole pack. T h e n 3C + 3 x y z + b = a,
or x + y + z = 3C4-3 + b - a , or = b - ( a - 3 C ~ 3 ) . B u t x + y
+ z is the whole number of the spo ts; b is the number of

cards left in the pack, and a 3c 3 is the whole number
of cards in the pack, less,the product of the number to be
completed by the number of the cards drawn, minus that
number.
Topsy Turvy.
S ix hundred and sixty so ordered may be,
T h a t if you divide the whole number by three,
T h e quote w ill exactly in numbers express
T h e half of six hundred and sixty not less.
I f the given figures be turned upside down, they w ill
become 990, the third part of w hich, v iz ., 330 is h alf of 660.
One from Five leaves Five.

From h alf of five take one, then five shall still remain.
One h alf of F I V E = I V ,
T a k e away I and V or 5 remains.
A Question of Halves.
D ivide h alf of nine by h a lf of five, the quotient shall be
one.
H a lf of I X when cut through the middle is I V ; and h alf
of F I V E is also I V ; and the quotient resulting from dividing
the former by the latter is evidently 1.
Odds and Evens.

Place the nine digits, so that the sum of the odd digits
may be equal to the sum of the even ones.
2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = i2 '8
r +3 + 7 + f = I 2 S
II.Amusing Problems
The Mule and the Ass.

A mule and an ass travelling together, the ass began to
complain that her burden was too heavy. L a z y anim al
said the m ule, you have little reason to com plain ; for if
I take one of your bags, I shall have twice as many as you,
and if I give you one of mine we shall then only have an
equal num ber. W ith how many bags was each loaded?
A s the mule and the ass w ill both have equal burdens
when the form er gives one of his measures to the latter, it
is evident that the difference between the measures which
they carry is equal to 2. Now if the mule receives one from
the ass, the difference w ill be 4 ; but in that case the mule
w ill have double the number of measures that the ass h a s ;
consequently the mule w ill have 8, and the ass 4. I f the
mule then gives one to the ass, the latter w ill have 5, and
the former 7. These were the number of the measures with
which each was loaded, and which solve the problem.
The False Balance.

A Dutch cheese being placed in one of the scales of a
false balance, was found to weigh r 61b s., and when placed
in the other only cilbs. W hat was its true weight,
T h e true weight was a mean proportional between the
two false ones, and is found by extracting the square root
of their product.
T h u s 1 6 x 9 = 1 4 4 of which the square root is 12. T h e
true weight of the cheese was therefore i2 lb s.
The Climbing Snail.

A snail in climbing a mast 20 feet high, ascended 8 feet
every day, and came down 4 again every night. H o w long
would he be in getting to the top of the pole ?
Since he has gained 4 feet in height every day and night,
he w ill have advanced 12 feet in 3 d a ys; and therefore in
4 days he w ill reach the top.
The Maypole.
T h e re was a maypole which consisted of three pieces of
timber, of which the first (or lowermost) was 13ft. long,
the third (or uppermost) was as long as the lowermost and
half the middle p ie ce ; and the middle piece was as long
as the uppermost and lowermost together. H o w high was
this maypole, and how long was each piece?
M ultiply the length of the first piece 13, by 3, and the
result, 39, is the length of the uppermost piece. Again
m ultiply 13 by 4, and the result, 52, is the length of the
middle piece, which is equal to the sum of the lower and the
upper pieces. T h e height of the maypole was therefore
104ft.
A Question of Hair.
Supposing there are more persons in the world than any
of them has hairs upon his head, it then necessarily follows
that some two of them at least must have exactly the same
number of hairs on their heads to a h air. Can you prove
this?
T h e greatest variety that can be in the number of hairs,
is equal to the greatest number that any person h a s ; v iz .,

one person having but one, another two, another three, and
so on to the greatest num ber; but as, by the supposition,
there are still more persons, whatever number they may
have some one of the preceding must have the same. Hence
the proposition is manifest.
The Schoolm asters Trick.
A schoolmaster to amuse his scholars, showed them a

number w hich he said was the sum of six rows, each consist
ing of four figures. H e desired them to write down three
rows of figures, to which he would add three m o re; and
assured them that the sum of the whole should be equal to
the number he showed them. H o w must this be done?
T h e number shown by the master is 29997, which is
9999 x 3. Now if every figure, in each row of the m asters
be made a complement to 9 of the scholars row, it is
evident that the sum w ill be equal to the number proposed.
T h u s : suppose the scholar s write down three rows as
fo llo w s:
7285
5829 T h e scholar s rows
3456
Th e n we shall have 2714
4170 T h e m asters rows
6543
T o ta l 29997 The number proposed.
Supposition.
Th re e persons were disputing about their money. Said
A to B and C I f eleven sovereigns were added to my
money, I should have as much as you b o th . T h e n replied
B , I f eleven sovereigns were added to my money, I should
have twice as much as you b o th ? C answered I f eleven
sovereigns were added to m y stock, I should have three
times as much as you b o th . H o w much had each?
A had 1 ; B 5 ; and C 7 sovereigns. T h u s , A 14-11 = 1 2 ;
B , 5 + 11 = 1 6 ; C , 7 + 11 = 18.
The TJnluclcy Number.

D ivid e the number 13 into three parts, so that their
squares may have equal 'differences, and the sum of their
squares may be 75.
i + 5 + 7= i 3
1 x 1= 1
5 x 5 = 25 difference 24
7 x 7 = 49 difference 24
75
How Old Was He?
On being asked how old he was a gentleman re p lie d :
T h e square of my age 60 years ago is double my present
age. H ow old was he?
T h e gentlemans age was 72. Th u s : 60 years ago he was
12 years of age. T h e square of 12 is 144, which divided
by 2 gives 72.
A Mysterious Number.
Th e re is a certain number which is divided into four
parts. T o the first part you add 2, from the second part
you subtract 2, the third part you m ultiply by 2, and the
fourth part you divide by 2, and the sum of the addition,
the remainder of the subtraction, the product of the m ulti
plication, and the quotient of the division, are all equal
and precisely the same. H o w is this?
T h e number is 45, which divided into four parts, viz. :
8, 12, 5, and 20, which equal 45. T o the first part you
add 2 : 8 + 2 = 1 0 ; from the second you subtract 2 : 12 2 =
1 0 ; the third part you m ultiply by 2 : 5 x 2 = 1 0 ; and the
fourth part you divide by 2 : 204-2 = 10. Consequently the
sum of the addition, the remainder of the subtraction, the
are precisely the same 10.
product of the m ultiplication, and the quotient of the division
G ripus W ill.
W hen Gripus died, in sterling gold was found,
L e ft for his fam ily, eight thousand pound,
T o be bestowed, as his last w ill directed,
W hich did provide that none should be neglected;
F o r to each son (there being in number five)
Th ree times each daughter s portion he did give :
H is daughters four, were each of them to have
Double the sum he to the mother gave.
Now that his wish may ju stly be fu lfilld,
W h a t must the widow have, and what each child ?
W idow s part i
4 D aughters 8
5 Sons 30
39
.8000 -s-39 ==^205 2S. 6 j- ? d ., the w id o w s share.
T h is sum doubled = 4 1 0 5s. i ^ d . , each daughters
share.
T h is sum trebled = 1 2 3 0 15s. 4 1J; d . ) each sons share.
The Travellers.
A company of travellers spent in the Refreshm ent Rooms
of a R ailw a y Station the sum of six shillings and one
farthing! and each of them had as many farthings to pay
as there were persons in the company. H ow many
travellers were there?
S ix shillings and one farth in g = 2 89 farth in g s; and this
must be equal to tKe number of persons m ultiplied into the
sum spent by each. In the present case the m ultiplicand
and the m ultiplier are equal, and therefore we have only to
find what number m ultiplied into itself w ill produce the
given sum 2 8 9 ; or in other words, to find the square root of
= 4 } d ., which is the money spent by each.
289. T h is = i7 , the number of tra v e lle rs; and 17 farthings
C
An Egg Problem.
Th ree young women went to m arket with eggs; the first

having 50 to sell, the second 30, the third no more than ten.
A ll three sold out, and at the same rate, and each made
the same sum of money of her eggs. H o w were they sold?
On coming to m arket, eggs were selling at seven a penny,
at which rate the first wroman sold 49, and received seven-
pence; the second sold 28, and of course received four-
pence ; whilst the third sold a single pennyworth; but she
had three eggs remaining, whilst her companions had but
one and two respectively. In the course of the day the
demand increasing, she advanced her price to threepence
each, for which she sold her three last eggs, and received
ninepence. H e r companions following her exam ple, sold
their remaining eggs for threepence each, and also realised
the sum of tenpence.
F irs t woman, for 49 eggs received 7d.
A nd for 1 ,, ,, 3d.
50 io d .
Second woman, for 28 eggs received 4d.
And for 2 ,, ,, 6d.
30 io d .
T h ird woman, for 7 eggs received id .
And for 3 ,, ,, 9d.
10 io d .
The Counting Match.

A in five hours a sum can count,
W hich B can in eleven;
H o w much more then is the amount
T h e y both can count in seven?
In x hour A
R
can count }1 V 01 the sum .
>>
> >1 tt J
!i A + B -5-+ tV = t!'
Th e re fo re in 7 days they w ill count 1 =2-j\ sum s.
2-g-1^- I = i-gV the an sw er req uired.
The Cat, the Do#, and the Leg of Mutton.

A man has a cat, a dog, and a leg of mutton, to carry
over a r iv e r ; but being obliged to transport them one by
one on account of the smallness of the boat, in what
manner is this to be done, that the cat may not be left with
the dog, nor the dog with the leg of mutton.
H e must first carry over the dog, and then return for the
c a t: when he carries over the cat, he must take back with
him the dog, and leave it, in order to carry over the leg of
m utton; he may then return and carry over the dog. B y
these means the cat w ill never be left with the dog, nor the
dog with the leg of mutton, except when the boatman is
present.
To Ascertain the Length of the Bay and Night,

a t any Time of the Year.
Double the time of the suns rising, which gives the length
of the night, and double the time of the setting, which gives
the length of the day.
The Show Pen.

A t an A g ricultural Show a cattle pen was formed with
50 gates of equal length. I t was found necessary, later,
to double the size of the pen. H o w many additional gates
would be required to do th is?
O nly two. T h e re were 48 gates on each side of the pen,
one at the top, and another at the bottom. I f one of the
sides were moved back, and an additional gate inserted at
the top and bottom, the size of the pen would be exactly
doubled.
The Country Woman and the Eggs.

A country woman carrying eggs to a garrison, where she
had three guards to passj sold at the first, h alf the number
she had and h alf an egg m o re; at the second, the h alf of
what remained and h alf an egg m o re ; and at the third, the
h alf of the remainder and h alf an egg m o re; when she
arrived at the m arket place, she had three dozen still to sell.
H ow was this possible without breaking any of the eggs?
I t would appear, on the first view that this problem is
im possible; for how can half an egg be sold without breaking
any? T h e possibility of it, however, w ill be evident, when
it is considered, that by taking the greater h alf of an odd
number, we take the exact h alf + J . It w ill be found there
fore that the woman, before she passed the last guard, had
73 eggs remaining, for by selling 37 of them at that guard,
which is the h alf + 1 , she would have 36 remaining. In like
manner, before she came to the second guard she had 147;
and before she came to the first, 295.
In a B it of a Hole!
A ship was in a situation with a hole in one of her planks
of twelve inches square, and the only piece of plank that
could be had, was sixteen inches long by nine inches broad.
Required to know how this said piece must be cut into
four pieces, so as to repair the hole perfectly and without
waste.
Cut off four inches from the narrow end of the given piece,
and divide the piece so cut off into three equal pieces by
cuts in the shortest direction. When arranging these three
pieces lengthways on the top of the remainder, a square of
twelve inches w ill be formed.
The Three Graces, and the Nine Muses.

T h e three Graces, carrying each an equal number of
oranges, were met by the nine M uses, who asked for some
of th em ; and each Grace having given to each Muse the
same number, it was then found that they had all equal
shares. H ow many had the Graces at first?
T h e least number which w ill answer this problem is 12;
for if we suppose that each Grace gave one to each Muse,
the latter would each have th re e ; and there would remain
3 to each G race. T h e numbers 24, 36, 48, e tc., w ill also
answer the question; and after the distribution is made,
each of the Graces and Muses w ill have 6 or 9 or 12, etc.
Pythagoras and his School.

T e ll me, illustrious Pythagoras, how many pupils fre
quent thy school? One h a lf, replied the philosopher, study
mathematics,- one fourth natural philosophy, one seventh
observe silence, and there are three females besides.
T h e question here is, to find a number, the J , J , and -f
of which + 3 , shall be equal to that number. It may be
easily replied that this number is 28.
One W ay of P u ttin g I t!
A zoological collection was being shipped to England on
board a P . and O. liner. Meeting the keeper on deck one
morning, one of the passengers asked him how many birds
and beasts he had under his charge. T h e keeper made the
following curious reply. T h e y total 72 heads and 200
fe e t. H ow many were there of each?
Th e re were 72 animals altogether. H a d they a ll been
birds they would have had 144 feet. H ad they all been
beasts they would have had 288 feet. It is obvious there
were some of each kind. L e t us suppose the numbers equal,
th en : 36 birds or 72 feet + 36 beasts or 144 feet = 2 i6 feet.
But this exceeds the number of feet given by 16. Therefore
we must add 8 birds and deduct 8 beasts.
44 birds have 88 feet
28 beasts , , 112 feet
72 200
The B lind Abbot and the Monks.

T h e following capital puzzle, old as it is, w ill be found
very amusing. A convent, in which there were nine cells,
was occupied by a blind abbot and twenty-four monks, the
abbot lodging in the centre cell, and the monks in the side
cells, three in each, forming a row of nine persons on each
side of the building, as in the accompanying figure.
F ig . i . F ig . 2.
T h e abbot, suspecting the fidelity of the monks, frequent

ly went round at night and counted them, when, if he found
nine in each row, he retired to rest quite satisfied. T h e
monks, however, taking advantage of his blindness, con
spired to deceive him , and arranged themselves in the cells
as in F ig . 2, so that four could go out, and still the abbot
would find nine in each row.
K g - 3- F ig . 4.
T h e monks that went out returned with four visitors, and

they were arranged with the monks as in fig. 3 , so as to count
nine each w ay, and consequently the abbot was again
deceived.
Emboldened by success, the monks next night brought

in four more visitors, and succeeded in deceiving the abbot
by arranging themselves as in fig. 4.
Again four more visitors were introduced, and arranged
with the monks as in fig. 5.
F in a lly , even when the twelve clandestine visitors had
departed, carrying off six of the monks with them, the abbot,
still finding nine in each row, as in fig. 6, retired to rest
with fu ll persuasion that no one had either gone out or come
0 9 0 5 0 4
9 9 0
0
0 9 0 4 0 5
Fig- 5 - F ig . 6.
Answer. H o w it came to pass that the abbot should
become confused is easily explained. T h e numbers in the
angular cells were counted tw ic e ; these cells belonging to
two rows, the more therefore the angular cells are filled by
emptying those in the middle of each row, the double
counting increases the whole sum, and the contrary is the
. case in proportion as the middle cells are filled by emptying
the angular ones.
The Costermonger's Puzzle.

A costermonger bought 120 apples at two a penny, and
120 more of another sort at three a p enn y; but not liking
his bargain, he mixed them together, and sold them out
again at five for two pence, thinking he should recover the
same su m ; but on counting his money, he found that he had
lost fourpence. H o w was this?
A t first sight there appears no lo s s; for supposing that in
selling five apples for two pence, the costermonger gave
three of the sort at three a penny, and two of those at two a
penny, he would receive just the same money as he bought
them f o r ; but it is evident that the latter stock would be

exhausted first, and consequently the man must sell as many
of the former as remained over at five for two pence (bought
at two a penny or four fdr two pence), and would therefore
lose. When all the latter sort were sold in the above
manner, he would have sold only eighty of the form er, for
there are as m any threes in one hundred and twenty, as twos
in eighty; therefore the remaining forty must be sold at five
for twopence, which were bought at the rate of four for two
pence, th us:
I f 4 : 2 :: 40 : 20, prime cost of 40 of the first sort.
5 : 2 : : 40 : 16, selling price of ditto.
4 pence loss.
The Three Jealous Husbands.

Th ree jealous husbands, with their wives, having to cross
a river at a ferry, find a boat without a boatm an; but the
boat is so sm all that it can contain no more than two of
them at once. H ow can these six persons cross the river,
two and two, so that none of the women shall be left in
company with any of the men, unless when her husband is
present ?
T w o women cross first, and one of them rowing back the
boat, carries over the third woman. One of the three
women then returns with the boat, and rem aining, suffers
the two men, whose wives have crossed, to go over in the
boat. One of the men then carries back his wife and
leaving her on the bank, rows over the third man. In the
last place, the woman who had crossed enters the boat, and
returning twice, carries over the other two women.
T h is question is proposed also under the title of the three
masters and the three valets. T h e masters agree very w ell,
and the valets a lso ; but none of the masters can endure the
valets of the other tw o ; so that if any one of them were left
with any of the other two valets, in the absence of his
master, he would in fallib ly cane him .
Sir Isaac Newtons Problem.

I f 12 oxen w ill eat 3^ acres of grass in 4 weeks, and
21 oxen w ill eat 10 acres of grass in 9 weeks, how many
oxen w ill eat 24 acres in 18 weeks, the grass being alloived
io grow uniformly ?
3 ! x 21 x g
--------------- = i^ i acres.
12x4
Now it appears that 21 oxen would consume i3 ja c re s of
grass, provided the grass did not grow during the last five
weeks, but only 10 acres when it did so grow. Hence it is
manifest that the quantity of grass grown upon 10 acres in
five weeks is 13J io = 3 ja cre s.
W e must now find what w ill be the increase of grass on
24 acres in 14 weeks, which is the difference between 4
weeks and the given 18.
x 24 x 14
-------- = 21 acres.
10 x 5
Hence the quantity of grass that w ill grow on 24 acres in

the last 14 weeks w ill be equal to 21 a c re s; and hence the
whole quantity of grass to be consumed in the 18 weeks w ill
be equal to 45 acres.
12x45x4 ,
------= = ^6 oxen.
3 j x i 8 d
To find the Number of Deals a Person may play

at the Game of W hist, w ithout holding the same
Cards twice.
T h e number of cards played with at whist, being 52, and
the number dealt to each person 1 3 ; if this be taken from
the whole pack, the number of cards remaining w ill be 39,
any 13 of which may be those the person takes i n ; and there
fore we are to find in how many ways 13 cards may be taken
out of 39, which is done as follow s:
M ultiply 52 severally by 51, 50, 49, and so forth, b ack
wards to 41, which w ill give 3954242643911239680000 for
the product. Th en divide this number, separately, by
i , 2, 3, & c . to 13 , and the quotien t w ill b e 6227020800;

w hich is the num ber o f different w ays X3 cards m ay b e
tak en out o f 52, and co n sequen tly the num ber required.
A question, somewhat;- sim ilar to this, though more difficult
to be solved, is, to determine the number of fifteens that
may be made, as in the game of Cribbage, out of a common
pack of 52 cards, which is found, by computation, to be no
less than 17264, each counting two holes on the board.
Simple D ivision !
T o distribute among three persons 2r casks of wine,
7 of them fu ll, 7 of them empty, and 7 of them h a lf-fu ll;
so that each of them shall have the same quantity of wine,
and the same number of casks.
T h is problem admits of two solutions, which may be
clearly comprehended by means of the two following tables:
I.
Persons F u ll C asks. Em p ty. H a lf- F u ll.
1st ........ 2 ... 2 .. . 3
2nd ........ 2 ... 2 ... 3
3 fd .......... 3 3 1
II.
Persons F u ll C asks. Em p ty. H a lf- F u ll.
1st ........ 3 ... 3 ... 1
2nd ........ 3 ... 3 ... 1
3rd .......... 1 ... 1 ... 5
Tlie Arabians and the Stranger.

Tw o Arabians sat down to d in n e r; one had five loaves,
the other three. A stranger passing by, desired permission
to eat with them, to which they agreed. T h e stranger
dined, laid down eight pieces of money and departed. T h e
proprietor of the five loaves took up five pieces, and left
three for the other, who objected, and insisted on one-half.
T h e cause came before A li (the magistrate) who gave the
following judgm ent: L e t the owner of the five loaves
have seven pieces of money, and the owner of the three
pieces, o ne. W as the sentence ju st?
Y e s, A l i s sentence was ju s t ; for suppose the loaves to

be divided into three equal parts, making twenty-four parts
in all the eight loaves, and each person to eat equal or
eight parts. Therefo re, the stranger had seven parts of the
person who contributed five loaves, or fifteen parts,' and
only one of him who contributed only three loaves, which
made nine parts.
An A w kw ard Measure.
A gentleman has a bottle, containing 8 pints of choice
wine, and wishes to make a present of one-half of it to a
frie n d ; but as he has nothing with which to measure it,
except two other bottles, one capable of containing 5 and
the other 3 pints, how must he manage, so as to put exactly
4 pints into the bottle capable of containing 5 ?
T o enable us to resolve this problem we w ill call the
bottle containing the 8 pints A ; that o f 5 pints B ; and that
of 3 pints C ; supposing that there are 8 pints of wine in the
bottle A , and that the other two are empty, as seen at D .
H avin g filled the bottle B with wine from the bottle A , in
which there w ill remain no more than 3 pints as seen at E ,
fill the bottle C from B , and consequently there w ill remain
only 2 pints in the latter, as seen at F : then pour the wine
of C into A , which w ill thus contain 6 pints, as seen at G ,
and pour the two pints of B into C , as seen at H . In the
last place, having filled the bottle B from the bottle A , in
which there w ill remain only 1 pint, as seen at I , fill up C
from B in which there w ill remain 4 pints, as seen at K ;
and thus the problem is solved.
8 5 3
A B C
D 8 0 0
E 3 5 0
F 3 2 3
G 6 2 0
H 6 0 2
I 1 5 2
K 1 4 3
I f you are desirous of making the four pints of wine

remain in the bottle A, which we have supposed to be filled
with 8 pints, instead of remaining in the bottle B , fill the
bottle C w ith wine from the bottle A , in which there w ill
remain only 5 pints, as seen at D ; and pour 3 pints of C
into B , which w ill consequently contain 3 pints, as seen at
E ; having then filled C from A , in which there w ill remain
no more than 2 pints, as seen at F ; fill up B from C which
w ill thus contain only 1 pint as seen at G . In the last place,
having poured the wine of the bottle B into the bottle A,
which w ill thus have 7 pints as seen at H ; pour the pint of
wine which is in C into B , consequently the latter w ill
contain 1 pint, as seen at I ; and then fill up C from A , in
which there w ill remain only 4 pints, as was proposed, and
as seen at K .
8 5 3
A B C
8 0 O
D 5 0 3
E 5 3 0
F 2 3 3
G 2 5 1
H 7 0 r
I 7 1 0
K 4 r 3
A Capacious Body.
Mathematicians affirm that of all bodies contained under
the same superficies, a sphere is the most capacious. But
they have never considered the amazing capaciousness of a
body, the name of which is now required, of which it may
be truly affirmed, that supposing its greatest length 9 inches,
greatest breadth 4 inches, and greatest depth 3 inches, yet
under these dimensions it contains a solid foot?
A shoe!
The State Library of Victoria
"ALM A CONJURING COLLECTION
III,Problems in Progressions
Explanation of the Most Remarkable Properties
of an A rithm etical Progression.
I f there be a series of numbers, either increasing or de
creasing, in such a manner, that the difference between the
first and the second shall be equal to that between the
second and third, and between the third and fourth, and
so on successively; these numbers w ill be in arithm etical
progression.
T h e series of numbers i , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & c .; or1, 5, 9,
13, & c .; or 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, &c . ; or15, 12,9, 6, 3,
are therefore arithm etical progressions; for in the first, the
difference between each term and the following one, which
exceeds it, is always 1 ; in the second it is 4 ; in like manner
this difference is always 2 in the third series, which goes on
decreasing; and in the fourth it is 3.
It may be readily seen, that an increasing arithm etical
progression may be continued ad infinitum ; but this
cannot be the case, in one sense, with a decreasing se rie s;
for we must always arrive at some term, from which if the
common difference be taken, the remainder w ill be o, or
else a negative quantity. T h u s , the progression 19, 15,
11, 7, 3, cannot be carried farther, at least in positive
num bers; for it is impossible to take 4 from 3, or if it be
taken we shall have, according to analytical expression, 1 ;
and by continuing the subtraction we should have 5,
9, & c. (A s the quantities called negative are real
quantities, taken in a sense contrary to that of the quantities
called positive, it is evident that, according to m athem atical
and analytical strictness, an arithm etical progression may
he continued ad in fin itu m , decreasing as well as in

creasing; but we here speak agreeably to the vulgar mode
of expression.)
T h e chief properties df arithm etical progressions may be
easily deduced from the definitions which we have here
given. F o r a little attention w ill shew,
is t. T h a t each term is nothing else than the first, plus
or minus the common difference m ultiplied by the number
of intervals between that term and the first. T h u s, in the
progression 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, & c ., the difference of which
is three, there are five intervals between the sixth term and
the firs t; and for this reason the s ix th " term was equal to
the first plus 15, the product of the common difference 3
by 5. But as the number of intervals is always less by
unity than the number of terms, it thence follows, that we
may find any term, the place of which in the series is known,
if we m ultiply the common difference by the number ex
pressing that place less unity. According to this rule, the
hundredth term of an increasing progression w ill be equal
to the first plus 99 times the common difference. I f it be
decreasing, it w ill be equal to the first term minus that
product.
In every arithm etical progression therefore, the common
difference being given, to find any term the place of which
is kno w n ; m ultiply the common difference by the number
which indicates that place less unity, and add the product
to the first term, if the progression be increasing, but sub
tract it if it be decreasing; the sum or remainder w ill be the
term required.
2nd. In every arithm etical progression, the sum of the
first and last terms is equal to that of the second and the
last but o n e ; and to that of the third and last but two, & c .;
in a word, to the sum of the m iddle terms if the number of
the terms be even, or to the double of the middle term if
the number of the terms be odd.
T h is may be easily demonstrated from what has been
said ; for let us call the first term A , and let us suppose that
there are twenty terms in the progression; if it be in
creasing, the twentieth term w ill be equal to A plus nineteen
times the common difference; and their sum w ill be double

the first term plus nineteen times that difference. But the
second term is equal to the first plus the common difference,
and the nineteenth term, or last but one, according to our
supposition, is equal to the first plus eighteen times that
difference. T h e sum therefore of the second and last but
one, is twice the first term plus nineteen times the common
difference, the same as before. And so of the third and
last but two.
3rd. B y this last property we are enabled to shew in what
manner the sum of all the terms of an arithm etical pro
gression may be readily fo u n d ; for, as the first and last terms
make the same sum as the second and last but one, and as
the third and the last but two, & c .; in short as the two
middle terms, if the number of terms be even ; it thence
follows, that the whole progression contains as many times
the sum of the first and last terms, as there are pairs of
such terms. Bu t the number of pairs is equal to h alf the
number of te rm s; consequently the sum of the whole pro
gression is equal to the product of the sum of the first and
last terms m ultiplied by h alf the number of terms, or, what
amounts to the same, to h alf the product of the sum of the
first and the last terms by the number of the terms of the
progression.
I f the number of the terms be odd, as 9 for exam ple; it
may be readily seen that the middle term w ill be equal to
h alf the sum of the two next to it, and consequently the
sum of the first and last. But the sum of all the terms, the
m iddle term excepted, is equal to the product of the sum
of the first and last terms by the number of terms less unity,
for example 8 in the case here proposed, where there are
9 te rm s; consequently, by adding the middle term, which
w ill complete the sum of the progression, and which is
equal to h alf the sum of the first and last terms, we shall
have, for the sum total of the progression, as many times
the h alf sum above mentioned, as there are terms in the
progression; which is the same thing as the product of half
the sum of the first and last terms by the number of the
terms, or the product of the whole sum by h alf the number

of terms.
W hen these rules are well understood, it w ill be easy to
resolve the following questions.
A Stone Problem.
I f a hundred stones are placed in a straight line, at the
distance of a yard from each o th er; how many yards must
the person w alk, who undertakes to p ick them up one by
one, and to put them into a basket a yard distant from the
first stone.
I t is evident, that to pick up the first stone, and put it
into the basket, the person must w alk two yards, one in
going and another in returning; that for the second he must
w alk 4. y a rd s; and so on, increasing by two as far as the.
hundredth, which w ill oblige him to w alk two hundred yards,
one hundred in going, and one hundred in returning. It
may easily be perceived also, that these numbers form an
arithm etical progression, in which the number of terms is
100, the first term 2, and the last 200. T h e sum total
therefore w ill be the product of 202 by 50, or 10100 yards,
which amount to more than five miles and a h alf.
The Debtor.
A merchant being considerably in debt, one of his
creditors, to whom he owed ,1:860, offered to give him
an acquittance if he would agree to pay the whole sum in
12 monthly instalm ents; that is to say, ^ 1 0 0 the first
month, and to increase the payment by a certain sum each
succeeding month, to the twelfth inclusive, when the whole
debt would be discharged; by what sum was the payment of
each month increased?
In this problem the payments to be made each month
ought to increase in arithm etical progression. W e have
given the sum of the terms, which is equal to the sum total
of the debt, and also the number of these terms, which is
1 2 ; but their common difference is unknown, because it is
that by which the payments ought to increase each month.
T o find this difference, we must take the first payment

multiplied by the number of terms, that is to say 1200
pounds, from the sum total, and the remainder w ill be 6 6 0 ;
we must then m ultiply the number of terms less unity, or
11, by h alf the number of terms, or 6, and we shall have
6 6 ; by w hich, if the remainder 660 be divided, the quotient
10 w ill be the difference required. T h e first payment,
therefore, being 100, the second payment must have been
110, the third 120, and the last 210.
A W ell Problem.
A gentleman employed a bricklayer to sink a w ell, and
agreed to give him at the rate of three shillings for the
first yard in depth, five for the second, seven for the third,
and so on increasing till the twentieth, where he expected
to find w ate r; how much was due to the bricklayer when he
had completed the w ork?
T h is question may be easily answered by the rules already
given ; for the difference of the terms is 2, and the number
of terms 2 0 ; consequently, to find the twentieth term , we
must m ultiply 2 by 19, and add 38, the product, to the
first term 3, which w ill give 41 for the twentieth term.
I f we then add the first and last terms, that is 3 and 41,
which w ill make 44, and m ultiply this sum by 10, or h alf
the number of terms, the product 440 w ill be the sum of
a ll the terms of the progression, or the number of shillings
due to the bricklayer, when he had completed the w ork.
H e would, therefore, have to receive 2 2 .
Another W ell Problem.

A gentleman employed a bricklayer to sink a well to the
depth of 20 yards, and agreed to give him 2 0 for the
w h o le; but the bricklayer falling sick , when he had finished
the eighth yard, was unable to go on with the w o rk ; how
much was then due to him ?
Those who might imagine that two-fifths of the whole
sum were due to the workm an, because 8 yards are two-
fifths of the depth agreed on, would certainly be m istaken ;
D
for it may be easily seen that, in cases of this kin d, the

labour increases in proportion to the depth. W e shall here
suppose, for it would be difficult to determine it with any
accuracy, that the labqur increases arithm etically as the
d epth ; consequently the price ought to increase in the same
manner.
T o determine this problem, therefore, 2 0 or 400
shillings must be divided into 20 terms in arithm etical pro
gression, and the sum of the first eight of these w ill be what
was due to the bricklayer for his labour.
B k t 400 shillings may be divided into twenty terms, in
arithm etical proportion, a great many different ways, ac
cording to the value of the first term, which is here undeter
m in ed ; if we suppose it, for example, to be 1 shilling, the
progression w ill be 1, 3, 5, 7, & c ., the last term of which
w ill be 3 9 ; and consequently the sum of the first eight terms
w ill be 64 shillings. On the other hand, if we suppose the
first term to be r o j , the series of terms w ill be x o j, n i ,
12J, 13J , 14J, which w ill give 112 shillings for the sum of
the first eight terms.
But to resolve the problem in a proper manner, so as to
give to the bricklayer his just due for the commencement
of the w ork, we must determine what is the fa ir value of a
yard of work, sim ilar to the first, and then assume that value
as the first term of the progression. W e shall here suppose
that this value is 5 sh illin g s; and in that case the required
progression w ill be 5, 6 f i . 8tV 9 f f . n r%, I 2 i | , & c., the
common difference of which is and the last term 35.
Now to find the eighth term , which is necessary before w e
can find the sum of the first eight terms, m ultiply the
common difference fs. by 7, which w ill give i i t V ad add
this product to 5 the first term, which w ill give the eighth
term T 6 J - ; if we then add i 6 tV to the first term, and
m ultiply the sum, 2 rxy , by 4, the product 8 4 ^ , w ill be
the sum of the first eight terms, or what was due to the
b ricklayer, for the part of the work he had completed. T h e
bricklayer, therefore, had to receive 84T4T shillings, or
\ 4 S. 2d.
The Lost Purse.

A gentleman, having lost his purse, could not tell the
exact sum it contained, but recollected that when he counted
the pieces two by two, or three by three, or five by five,
there always remained o ne; and that when he counted them
seven by seven, there remained nothing. W hat was the
number of pieces in his purse?
It may be readily seen that, to solve this problem, nothing
is necessary but to find a number which when divided by 7
shall leave no rem ainder; and which when divided by 3,
5, shall always leave one. Several methods may be em
ployed for the purpose; but the simplest is as follow s:
Since nothing remains when the pieces are counted seven
by seven, the number of them is evidently some m ultiple of
7 ; and since 1 remains when they are counted two by two,
the number must be an odd m u ltip le ; it must therefore be
some of the series 7, 21, 35, 49, 63, 77, 91, 105, &c.
T h is number also, when divided by 3, must leave u n ity ;
but in the above series, 7, 49, and 91, which increase
arithm etically their difference being 42, are the only numbers
that have the above property. It appears likew ise, that if
91 be divided by 5, there w ill remain 1 ; and we may thence
conclude that the first number which answers the question
is 9 1 ; for it is a m ultiple of 7, and being divided by 2, 3,
or 5, the remainder is always 1.
Several more numbers, which answer this question, may
be found by the following m eans: continue the above pro
gression, in this m anner: 7, 49, 91, 133, 175, 217, 259,
301, until you find another term divisible by 5, that leaves
u n ity; this term w ill be 301, and w ill also answer the con
ditions of the problem ; but the difference between it and
91, is 210, from which it may be concluded, that if we form
the progression:
9 r > 3 T> 51 ^ 721, 93 r > 1141, & c.,
all these numbers w ill answer the conditions of the problem
also.
I t would, therefore, be still uncertain what money was
in the purse, unless the owner could tell nearly the sum it
contained. T h u s, for example, if he should say that there

were about 500 pieces in it, we might easily tell him that
the number was 511.
L e t us now suppose that the owner had said, that when
he counted the pieces two by two there remained 1 ; that when
he counted them three by three there remained 2 ; four by
four, 3 ; five by five, 4 ; six by six, 5, and, in the last place,
that when he counted them seven by seven, nothing re
mained.
It is here evident that the number, as before, must be an
odd m ultiple of 7, and consequently one of the series 7, 21,
35 . 49 . 6 3 > 77 . 9 1. 105 > & c- Bu t the numbers 35 and 77,
of this series, answer the conditions of leaving 2 as a re
mainder when divided by 3, and their difference is 42. F o r
this reason we must form a new arithm etical progression,
the difference of which is 42, v iz .,
35 . 77 . 119. l 6 l > 2 3 > 245 . 287, &c.
W e must then seek for two numbers in it, which when
divided by 4 shall leave 3 as remainder. O f this kind are
the numbers 35, 119, 203, 2 8 7 ; and therefore we must form
a new progression, the difference of the terms of which is 84,
35. 119> 203, 287, 371, 455, 623, & c.
In this new progression we must seek for two terms, which
when divided by 5, shall leave 4; and it w ill be readily seen
that these numbers are 119, and 539, the difference of which
is 420. A series of terms, therefore, which answer all the
conditions of'the problem except 1, is
l x 9> 539 . 959 . J 379 . I 799 > 2219, 2639, &c.
But the last condition of the problem is, that the required
number, when divided by 6, leaves 5 as a remainder. T h is
property belongs to 119, 959, 1799, & c ., always adding 8 4 0 ;
consequently the number sought is one of those in that
progression. F o r this reason, as soon as we know nearly
within what lim its it is contained, we shall be able to deter
mine it.
I f the owner therefore of the purse had said, that it con
tained about 100 pieces, the number required would be 1 19;
if he had said there were nearly 1000, it would be 959, &c.
The State Lbrarv of Victoria
A LM A CONJURING COLLECTION
IV*Magic Squares
T h e name M agic Square, is given to a square divided into
several other sm all equal squares or cells, filled up with the
terms of any progression of numbers, but generally an
arithm etical one, in such a manner, that those in each band,
whether horizontal, or vertical, or diagonal, shall always
form the same sum.
These squares have been called M agic Sq u ares,
because the ancients ascribed to them great virtu es; and
because this disposition of numbers formed the basis and
principle of many of their talismans.
According to this idea, a square o f one cell, filled up w ith
unity, was the symbol of the deity, on account of the unity
and im m utability of G o d ; for they remarked that this square
was by its nature unique and im m utable; the product of
unity by itself being always unity. T h e square of the root
2 was the symbol of imperfect matter, both on account of
the four elements, and of the im possibility of arranging
this square m agically. A square of 9 cells was assigned
or consecrated to S a tu rn ; that of 16 to Ju p ite r; that of
25 to M a rs ; that of 36 to the S u n ; that of 49 to V e n u s;
that of 64 to M e rcu ry; and that of 81, or nine on each side,
to the Moon.
Those who can find any relation between the planets
and such an arrangement of numbers, must no doubt have
minds strongly tinctured with superstition; but such was
the tone o f the mysterious philosophy o f Jam blichus,
Porphyry, and their disciples. Modern mathematicians,
while they amuse themselves with these arrangements, which
require a fa irly extensive knowledge of combination, attach
to them no more importance than they really deserve.
Magic Squares are divided into even and odd. The

former are those the roots of which are even numbers, as
2, 4, 6 , 8, e t c .; the latter of those the roots of which are
odd, and w hich, by a necessary consequence, have an odd
number of c e lls ; such are the squares of 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. As
the arrangement of the latter is much easier than that of
the form er, we shall treat of them first.
I.Odd Magic Squares.

W e shall here suppose an odd square, theroot of which
is 5, and that it is required to fill it up with the first 25 of
the natural numbers. In this case, begin by placing unity
in the middle cell of the horizontal band at the to p ; then
proceed from left to right, ascending diagonally, and when
you go beyond the square, transport the next number 2 to
the lowest cell of that vertical band
to which it belongs; set 3 in the
next c e ll, ascending diagonally from 17 24 1 S 15
left to right, and as 4 would go be
yond the square, transport it to the
23 5 7 n 16
most distant cell of the horizontal 4 6 13 2C 22
band to which it belongs; set 5 in
the next cell, ascending diagonally 10 12 19 21 3
from left to right, and as the
following cell, where 6 would fa ll, 11 IS 25 2 9
is already occupied by 1, place 6
immediately below 5 ; place 7 and 8 in the two next cells,
ascending diagonally, as seen in the figure; and then set 9
at the bottom of the last vertical b an d ; then 10 in the last
cell on the left of the second horizontal b an d ; then 11 below
i t ; after which continue to fill up the diagonal with the
numbers 12, 13, 14, 1 5 ; and as you can ascend no further,
place the following number 16 below 1 5 ; if you then pro
ceed in the same manner, the remaining cells of the square
may be filled up without any difficulty, as seen in the above
figure. T h e following are the squares of 3 and 7 filled up
by the same method.
30 59 ns / 10 19 28
38 H7 7 9 15 27 29
s 1 6 6 8 17 26 55 57
3 5 7 5 14 16 25 51 56 '15
9 2 15 15 2J1 35 n ft
21 25 52 // 45 3 m
22 51 ?<? W 2 11 20
Remarks.
1 . According to this disposition, the most regular of all,
the m iddle number of the progression occupies the centre,
as 5 in the square of 9 cells, 13 in that of 25, and 25 in
that of 4 9 ; but this is not necessary in the arrangement of
all magic squares.
2 . In each of the diagonals, the numbers which occupy
the cells equally distant from the centre, are double that in
the cen tre ; thus 30 + 20 = 474-3 = 28 + 22 = 24 + 26 e tc., are
double the central number 25.
3 . T h e case is the same with the cells centrally opposite,
that is to say, those sim ilarly situated in regard to the centre,
but in opposite directions both laterally and perpendicularly:
thus 31 and 19 are cells centrally opposite, and the case is
the same in regard to 48 and 2, 13 and 37, 14 and 36, 32
and 18. Bu t it happens, that, according to this magic
arrangement, those cells opposite in this manner, are always
double the central number, being equal to 50, as may be
easily proved.
I I .Even Magic Squares.

A.
T h e following is a method of constructing squares evenly
even, that is to say, those, the root of which when halved
is even, or can be divided by 4 without remainder. O f this
kind are the squares of 4, 8, 12, etc.
L e t us suppose that the annexed /,

square is to be filled up m agically,
with the first 16 of the natural 1 '7
num bers: F i l l up first the two diag
onals ; and for that purpose begin 6 7
to count the natural numbers, in 10 17
order, i , 2, 3, 4, e tc., on the cells of
the first horizontal band from left to 75 7G
rig h t; then proceed to the second c
band, and when you come to the
cells belonging to the diagonals, inscribe the numbers count
ed as you fa ll upon them ; by which means you w ill have the
arrangement represented. When the diagonals have thus
been filled, to fill up the cells which remain vacant, begin
to count the same numbers, proceeding
from the angle D in the cells of the
lower band, going from right to left, J 75 '7
and then in the next above i t ; and when
any cells are found empty, fill them up 12 6 7 9
with the numbers that belong to them :
in this manner you w ill have the square
8 70 5
//
16 filled up m agically, as seen in the 73 5 2 76
annexed figure, and the sum of each
band and each diagonal w ill be 34.
B.
T h e following is a method of constructing oddly even
M agic Squares, that is those the root of which when halved
gives an odd num ber; as those
of 6, 10, 14, etc. 5 6 3 / 2
T a k e for example the square
of the root 6. T o fill it up 2 1 6 5
3
inscribe in it the first six num
bers of the arithm etical pro
5 6 O V 7 2
gression, 1, 2, 3, e tc., accord 5 6 3 V 7 Z
ing to the foregoing m ethod;
which w ill give the first prim i 2 7 5 6 5
tive square, as in the annexed
figure. 5 6 5 7 2
T h e second must be formed

24 6 24 24 6 24
by filling up the cells in a 0 50 0 0 30 0
vertical direction, according to
the same principle, with the 12 IS 72 72 IS 72
m ultiples of the root, beginning
at o, v iz ., o, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30. IS 12 IS 7S 12 IS
A 50 0 30 50 0 50
29 72 27 28 7 26 6 24 6 6 24 6
2 31 '1 3 56 5
T h e sim ilar cells of the
17 m 15 16 19 V! two squares if then added,
25 IS 21 2 2 15 20 ^ w ill form a third square,

which w ill require only a few
32 1 3 55 6 35 corrections to be magic.
T h is third square is here
17 30 9 10 25 S annexed.
5
T o render the square magic, leaving the corners fixed,
transpose the other numbers of the upper horizontal band,
and of the first vertical one on the left, by reversing all the
remainder of the b an d ; writing 7, 28, 27, 12, instead of 12,
27, e tc., and in the vertical one, 32, 23, 17, and 2, from
the top downwards, instead of 2, 17, etc.
I t w ill be necessary also to exchange the numbers in the
two cells of the middle of the
second horizontal band at the 29 7 28 9 12 26
top, of the lowest of the second
vertical band on the left, and of 3Z 57 3 u 56 5
the last on the right. The
numbers in the cells A and B
ZZ IS 75 16 19 20
must also be exchanged, as well 14 Z4 21 22 13 17
as those in C and D ; by which
means we shall have the square 2 7 si- 53 6 35
corrected and m agically ar
ranged. 77 25 io 27 50 S
i
V*Quibbles and Trifles

Quite Simple.
How can you take one away from nineteen, and yet have
tw enty le ft?
X I X - I = XX.
A t Sixes and Sevens.

H ow is it possible to take nine from six, ten from nine,
and fifty from fo rty, and h ave six left,
S IX IX XL
IX X L
S I X
Hows That?
Com e, tell to me w hat figures three,
W hen m ultiplied by four
M ake five exact, 'tis truth in fact,
T his m ystery explore.
In decim als i ' 2 $ is i|- in fraction s, which being m ultiplied
by 4 makes 5 .
Simple Addition.
H ow can five be added to six in ord er to m ake nin e?
D raw six straight lines th u s:
A d d five m ore and the re s u lt is nine ^

n i n e .
The Mysterious Century.

W rite down 100 in fo ur figures.
991-
A ll Easy Catcli.
I f five times fo u r are thirty-three,
W h at w ill the fourth o f tw enty be?
Si-
Jilte d !
Ja c k said he could eat m ore nuts than Jill. J ill replied
th at she w ould jo lly w ell like to see him do it ! Ja c k ate
n in ety-n in e; J ill ate one hundred and won. H ow m any
m ore nuts did J ill eat than J a c k ?
T hose to whom you put the question will think you said,
one hundred and one," and w ill answer accordingly.
The Truss of Hay.

A truss o f hay weighing but h a lf a hundred w eight in a
scale, weighed two hundred weight upon the end o f a fo rk
carried on the fa rm e rs shoulder. H ow could that b e?
T he fork was as the ste e ly a rd ; the fa rm e rs shoulder as
the fulcrum sustaining the burden betw een the two powers
acting at both ends o f the fork.
Sm art Man!
It is said that a m an m ade so m any pairs of shoes in one
day th at it took tw o days to count them . But this record
is surely beaten by the Irishm an w ho built so m any m iles
o f stone w all in one day, that it took him a ll night and the
next day to get h o m e !
A K n o tty Question.
W hen first the marriage knot was tied
Between my wij'e and me,
M y age exceeded hers as much
A s three times three does three.
But when ten years and h alf ten years

We man and wife had been,
H e r age approached as near to mine
A s eight is to sixteen.
H ow old were they when they were m arried ?

T h e bride was fifteen, and the bridegroom forty-five.
Keei> Tour D istance!

One summer evening as I was taking a w alk, I heard the
voice of some one behind, calling to m e ; I turned back and
saw it was a friend, at the distance of 400 yards, wanting
to overtake me. W e moved each of us 200 yards, with our
faces towards each other, in a direct line, yet we were still
400 yards asunder. H ow can this possibly be ?
T h e former moved 200 yards backwards with his face
towards his friends , and the latter 200 yards forwards with
his face towards him.
A lla ilw a y Problem.

T h e 20th Century Lim ited leaves New Y o rk for
Chicago at 4 p .m ., and travels at the rate of 75 miles an
hour. Another train leaves Chicago for New Y o rk , at the
same time, and travels at 60 miles an hour. When the two
trains meet, which one is nearest to New Y o rk ?
T h is sounds a genuine problem, but it is only a catch,
for it is obvious that when the two trains meet, they must
both be the same distance from New Y o rk .
A Talking L ibrary.
It has been estimated that each individual averages three
hours of conversation daily, at the rate of 100 words a
m inute, or 20 pages of an octavo volume in an hour. A t
this rate we talk a volume of 400 pages in a week, and 52
volumes in a y e a r !
The Ingenious Debtor.

I owe twenty shillings to four persons, and have only
nineteen shillings with which to pay them. H ow can I pay
them all their fa ir demands without deduction from any?
T h e h a lf, one-third, one-sixth, and one-nineteenth of
nineteen^ shillings a re : 9/6 + 6/4 + 3/2 + 1/- = 20/-. T h is
however, is only a payment upon paper.
Simple Addition.
T o a thousand add 1, twice fifty and ten,
Six-sevenths of a m illio n s this sum I ll maintain.
M I L L I O
Twos and T avos.

It is required to place three 2 s in such a manner as to
form three numbers in Geom etrical Progression.
2 22 x 2;
------ 2---- ---------
2x2; 2; 2
which denote 1 and 2 respectively, the common ratio
being 2.
A Matter of Expression.
Express 12 by four figures each the same:
1 I T*
An Odd Half.
T h is is a truth (tho the numbers even),
T h a t half of twelves exactly seven.
T h e half of twelve w ill seven be,
Cut through the middle as you see. 2Z H X .
A Game of Fives.
P lace four 5 s so that their sum shall be 6 | :
5S + l-
i
A ll in a Bow.
Place in a row nine figures, each different from the o th e r;
m ultiply them by 8, and the product shall still consist of
nine different figures.
i2 3456789
8
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 i2
Three Threes.
It is required to place three 3 s in such a manner, as to
form three numbers in Geometrical Progression, the common
ratio of which shall be 3 ?
33 3 3X 3
1>" 3 >
3*3, > 3
denoting 1 and 3 respectively.
A ll the Same.
Exp ress 78 by six figures each the sam e: 77-ff-
A Threepenny Bit.
W hat part of 3d. is i of 2d. ?
i of 2 d .= g of id . = | of 3.
AJJMCP
1*13
<?3lR
F R A N C IS G R IF FIT H S ' T R A V E L BOOKS.
MODERN ARGENTINA. By W. H. K O EB EL.

T he E l D orado of To-Day. W ith Notes on U ruguay and Chile.
W ith 123 Illustrations. .
Dem y 8vo, cloth, gilt top, 12s. 6d. n e t; by post 13s.
T im es : T h e book is thoroughly up-to-date, is very readable,
and contains m uch interesting inform ation . . . It is the pleasant
ly-w ritten work o f a man with observant eye and ready ear who has
m ade the most of his tim e spent in the country and has succeeded in
giving a vivid and intelligen t account of w hat he has seen and heard.
SHADOWS OF OLD PARIS. By G. DUVAL.
F ully Illustrated by J. Gavin, in colour, w ash, and line drawings.
Crown 8vo, 12s. 6d. n e t; by post 13s.
Among the crowds of idlers and pleasure seekers, of students
even, who m ake the French capital tem porarily their home, there
are few lovers of tradition curious enough to turn from the dazzling
m odern city of pleasure, and plunge into the dingy P aris of the past.
Itself a tow n w ithin a tow n..................................T he whole story of
w hat is m ore passionately eloquent, w hat m ore enigm atic and mysteri-
France is w ritten on the w alls of P aris ; and to a student of history,
ous, than those silent stones?
BURGUNDY : THE SPLENDID DUCHY.
Studies & Sketches in South Burgundy. B y PERCY A LLEN .
Fully Illustrated w ith eight w ater-colour and 86 line drawings by
Miss M arjorie N ash. Foolscap quarto, cloth, 12s. Gd. net.
B u rg u n d y , though quite unknow n to the m ajority of travellers,
is one of the m ost interesting provinces of France. This full-blooded
land of fertile m eadows, vine-clad slopes, and rugged hills, is the
hom e of a people strong and vivaciouscom fortable, courageous,
eloquent, sonorous folk, th at like a good dinner and a good story to
fellow, th at have produced B ernard, Bossuet, Greuze, and L am artine.
Burgundian history, too, is unrivalled in its interest for English
readers. ,It was the scene of events vital to the m aking of Europe.
It was one of the strongholds of Rom an civilization. It saw the
genesis of a religious m ovem ent th at was the greatest feature of
eleventh and tw elfth century history.
In this, his latest book, Mr. Allen gives us all th at an intelligent
traveller need know concerning the southerly portion of the great
Duchy, a province th at has not previously been adequately dealt
with by an English writer. Miss M arjorie N ashs draw ings, in colour
and black and white, w orthily com plete a volum e th at should form a
welcome addition to the library of French Travel.
WITH NAPOLEON AT WATERLOO. ED W ARD BRU CE LO W , M.A.
And other unpublished docum ents of th e W aterloo and P enin
sular Cam paigns, also Papers on W aterloo by th e late
Edw ard Bruce Low, M.A.
E dited, w ith an Introduction, by M acKenzie M acBride.
32 Illustrations. Royal gilt top. Price 15s. net.
LONDON: FRANCIS GRIFFITHS, 34, MAIDEN L A m *
ie moosa is T
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THE ENTERTAINERS LIBRARY N1

LONDON : FRANCIS G R IFFIT H S, 34, MAIDEN LANE, STRAND, W.C.

34, MAIDEN LANE, STRAND, W.C.

1. QUEER TRICKS IN FIGURES. N ow R eady.

2. THE RAPID CALCULATOR. N ow R eady.

3. EASY CARD TRICKS. R e a d y N o v e m b er, 1912.

4. EASY CONJURING TRICKS. R e a d y N o v e m b er, 1912.

8. PALMISTRY: HOW TO READ THE HAND.

London: Francis Griffiths, 34, Maiden L ane, Strand, W.C.

QUEER TRICKS IN FIGURES.

I.Tricks and Games

To Tell Any Number Thought Of.

D esire the person to add 1 to the triple of the number

Bid the person multiply the number thought of by its e lf;

To Tell Two or More Numbers Thought Of.

third, be subtracted, the remainder will be 14, the double

Tlie Game of the Ring.

To tell by a Watcli Dial, the Hour when a Person

on your own mind 12 to it. Y o u then desire him to count

Any Number being- cliosen, by Adding a Figure

To Find the Difference between Two Numbers,

T h e sum is ................................. 112

Gives the age of Thom as ........................................................... 35

The Cancelled Figure Guessed.

The Money Game.

A Person having an Equal Number o f Counters

and in this case m ultiply 4, the number of the counters

Three Cards being1 presented to Three Persons,

Several Cards being' presented, in Succession, to

Several Nvijinbers being disposed in a Circular

T h u s for example if the person has thought of the number

R e m a rk s: 1. A greater or less number of cards may

2. T o conceal the artifice better, you may invert the

T h irty Soldiers having deserted, so to place them

destroyed each other for sustenance, had not -Josephus

The Magic Century.

3 w ill be the number you must stake firs t; and whatever

The Game of the Bag.

Different, yet the Same.

The Mysterious Sum.

F o r instance if the first figure of the first row is 3, and of

Another Mysterious Sum.

Two Persons selecting Two Numbers, and M u lti

A P a ir of Dice being- Thrown, to Find the

An A rithm etical Trick w ith Cards.

To Guess the Number of Spots on any Card, w hich

as above directed, reject all the te n s; then add 4 to the spots

A Person 1raving' Drawn, from a Complete Pack

from the pack, a 7, a 10, and a knave, which is equal to 11:

28, the remainder, 15, w ill be the number of spots contained

+ z is the whole number of the spo ts; b is the number of

One from Five leaves Five.

Odds and Evens.

The Mule and the Ass.

The False Balance.

The Climbing Snail.

is equal to the greatest number that any person h a s ; v iz .,

The Schoolm asters Trick.

A schoolmaster to amuse his scholars, showed them a