Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-07-06
SOME PARODOXES.
Propositions or Queries OF Q Puz-
cling Cha racter.

world in verbal form. and occasion
ally even appearing in print, ccrtai''
class Of Propositions or Queries, OF
which the object is to puzzle the wits
OF the unwary listener. or to beguile
him into giving an absurd reply.
Many of these are very old, and
some are excellent Instances will
readily occur. Who. for example, has
not, at some period OF his existe CO,
been asked the following question:
III a goose weighs ten pounds and
haf ito own weight, what is the weight
If the goosep' And who has not
been tempted to reply on the instant.
fifteen poundsP-the correct answer
being, Of course, twenty pounds. In
deed, 1t Is astonishing what very
simple query will sometimes catch a
wise man mapping Even the follow
ing have been known 10 succeed:
How many days would it take to
cut up piece of cloth fifty yards long.
one yard being cut of every day"
o. again:
"A snail climbing up post twenty
feet high, ascends five feet every day
ard slips down four feet every night
How long will the snail take to reach
the top Of the postP"
Or again:
"A wise man having window one
yard high aud one yard wide. d re-
curing more light. enlarged his win.
dow to twice its former size; yet he
wi dow was still only one yard high
and one yard wide. How was this
donep"
This is a catch question in geometry,
rs the preceding were catch questions
in arr hmetic~-the window being dia-
mond-shaped at first and afterw ar s
made square. A. TO tho two former,
perhaps II is scarcely necessary seri-
ously to point out that the answer to
the frs is not fifty days, but forty
nino; and to the second not twenty
days. but sixteen-since the snail who
gains one foot each day for fifteen
days. climbs on the sixteenth day tc
The top of the pole, and there remains.
Such examples are plentiful and oc-
casionally both curious and amusing.
But the purpose of The following paper
Is to illustrate a class of problems oil
rather different kind. There are
certain problems which are in no way
catch questions (any problem involv.
ing a mere verbal bubble is of course
,ut OF court by It's own innate vile.
ness). and which. though at first sigh
extremely simple, often require con-
siderable ingenuity TO arrive at q cor
rect result. Take for example the fol,
lowing:
"A man walks round pole, on the
OPP Of which is monkey. As the man
moves, the monkey turns round on Tho
top OF the polo so as still TO keep face
Ia face with the man. Query: When
he man has gone round the pole, ma.
he. or has he not, gone round tn,
monkey"
The answer which will occur at frs
sight to most persons is that tho ma,
has not gone round tho monkey, since
he has never been behind 1t. The cor
rect answer. however. rs decided 10y
6nowtedqe, in the pages of which th
momentous question has been argued
IS that the man ms gone round tn,
monkey In going round the pole,
The following has not so far rs tn,
writer is aware, hitherto appeared il
print: "A train standing on an in
cline is j ust kept stationary by an or
gine VIII CHI is not sufficiently pow eriu
to draw it up the incline. A seeon,
engine. of the same power as the first
is then brought up TO assist by push
ing the train from behind. and tho wv
, engines together take the train up tn
incline. SUPP ose the carriages to b
linked together by loose chains. S
that when the engine IN front is actin,
the chains are stretched aud the but
ers between tho carriages are sepa
rated, then. when the train is movin,
under the &C ion OF two engine,
| he buffers must be eithe
ogether or apart. Watch are they
II they are apart. the engine benin
the train is evidently doing no wort
If They are together, then the engin
in front is doing none. But neithc
! engine alone oan move the train
Why, then. does tho train moyepn
. The following was once asked at
, university wine-rarty by now wei
r known senior wranglcr; "Suppos
three snakes each of which is swa
lowing auo, her by the tail so that II
three form CIRCLE then. as the sw q
lowing process continues. the circ
evidently grows smaller aud smalle
Now. if they thus continue to swalle
each other, Ioha toill eventually bccon
l. Of he snakese'
&C OF course, it is clear that either I
ie swallowing process must stop SON
Dc where, or that the snakes will vani
e down each others's throats. At ph
ar point. then, will tho swallowing ceas
Ill II the reader finds himself ready
e. the spot with clear and precise 8
n, swer to this question he will ha
oil proved himself of reader wit tn
the guest of tha shove-mention