Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-05-04
An EGGs-TRAORDINAnY Ee.1s.
AMPLE.

I On Friday last the Cincinnati; In.
qulrer published the following frou
the New York Tribune:
Country readers are puzzlino
themselves over the following prob.
lem: II a hen and half lay an epo
ana half in day and half, how
days?" el
on the Monday following the pub.
licat'on in the Enquirer, it published
the answers received, which are inter.
esting as going to show how easilv
the average mind is bewildered and
led astray.
These answers are 13 in numbe,
are generally absurdly elaborate
and all but one of them inco rect
0iven in their order they run as fol-
lows; 8 rs, "A, "a, 20, Z, 6, Z, 30
~, AZ, 7, Fl, IA. The answer-42-
by Henry D. Emkhoff, is the correct
one, in our opinion.
The problem is simply this: II
three half hens produce three hall
eggs in three half days, how many
whole eggs will SIX whole hens pro-
duce in seven whole days? The rate
OF production would be half an egg
each half day for each half hen, or a
whole egg per whole day for each
whole hen, which would be AZ.
The fractionals employed in the
statement of the problem are factors
in fixing the rate of production, but
not factors in determining the sum of
production. That is to say, the ques-
ton is not how many eggs and half
eggs given number of hens and
half hens will produce In a given
number of days and half days, but
simply how many whole eggs six
while hens will lay in seven whole
days at the rate of an egg and half
per hen and half per day and half.
This rate is unquestionably half egg
per half day for each half hen, or a
whole egg per whole day for each
whole hen. Six times seven are forty.
two.-[Bellefontaine (Ohio) Examin-
er.
In our opinion, Mr.. Eggs aminer,
you haven't hoped on the eggs-act
answer. 1t takes the whole hen a
day and half to lay whole egg,
and the half hen day and half to
lay half egg. If hen and half
were to lay an egg and half in one
day, it is evident that one hen would
lay one egg in one day, six hens six
eggs in one day, and six hens forty
two eggs in seven days. But it takes
whole hen day and half to lay
whole egg, which would be thirds
of an egg per day. If one hen lays
two-thirds of an egg per day, six
would lay six times two-thirds, max
four eggs per day for six hens. If
six hens lay four eggs in one day,
they will lay seven times four, or
twenty weight eggs in seven days.
We cannot see how, if a hen and a
half lay an egg and half in day
and half, they are as industrious, or
doing as good work, or will produce
as many eggs in the given time, sew
en- days, as if they should get right
down to the busines of laying an egg
and half in one day. Another way
of getting at the same result would
be this: If one hen would lay an
egg and half in day and half,
this one hen would lay one egg in
one day. This is self-evident. Fol,
lowing the same line of reasoning, we
will say that if hen and a half lay
an egg and half in day and a
half, the hen and half would lay
one egg in one day. Worked out on
that basis we have straight shoot
and clear route to the same result
2S-for if hen and half lay one
egg in one day, three hens will lay
two eggs, six hens four eggs, and in
seven days six hens will lay seven
times four, which would be twenty
eight. 1t must be admitted, however,
that there is another solution almost
as clear as this, that would give IA.
A hen and half are three half hens,
and so with the eggs and days. If
three half hens lay three half eggs in
three half days, three whole hens
would lay three whole eggs in three
whole days, an egg apiece in three
days, or third of an egg each in
one day, requiring three hens to lay
one egg in one day. Six would lay
two in one day, or IA in seven days,
But it must be remembered that il
three half hens lay three half eggs in
shraa balf davs. one half a hen would