Amusements in Mathematics

“ALGEBRAICAL PROBLEMS.””

— Henry Ernest Dudeney

“Forsooth, a””

— Henry Ernest Dudeney

“Some are very easy, others quite difficult. But they are not arranged in any order of difficulty”

— Henry Ernest Dudeney

“First Lady: "And was he related to you, dear?" Second Lady: "Oh, yes. You see, that gentleman's mother was my mother's mother-in-law, but he is not on speaking terms with my papa." First Lady: "Oh, indeed!" (But you could see that she was not much wiser.) How was the gentleman related to the Second Lady?””

— Henry Ernest Dudeney

“Here is a funny little age problem, by the late Sam Loyd, which has been very popular in the United States. Can you unravel the mystery? The combined ages of Mary and Ann are forty-four years, and Mary is twice as old as Ann was when Mary was half as old as Ann will be when Ann is three times as old as Mary was when Mary was three times as old as Ann. How old is Mary? That is all, but can you work it out? If not, ask your friends to help you, and watch the shadow of bewilderment creep over their faces as they attempt to grip the intricacies of the question.””

— Henry Ernest Dudeney

“the cheque for him, and the cyclist, having received his £10 change, mounted the machine and disappeared. The cheque proved to be valueless, and the salesman was requested by his neighbour to refund””

— Henry Ernest Dudeney