The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-05-27
M CATCH THE UNWARY.
Many Old and New Paradoxes
That Arc Interesting.
rat. for the Wits of Your Friends-Brigh'
Problems That Arc Puzzling Yet
Easy to Solvc-An Old Rule
with No Exception.

with No Exception.
! After the cigars had been lighted at q
,mall dinner party one evening not
long ago, the subject of paradoxes was
Introduced. 1t was a matter of consid-
s-able comment to those present what
a large number OF propositions, or
oueries. there are floating about the
world in one form or another, which
are intended to puzzle the wits of the
uuwary. Some of them are extremely
ancient having been handed down
from the works OF the Greek philosoph-
ss and some are of recent origin. All
dthem form excellent mental exercise.
ssthey sharpen the wits, besides being
arecrea,ion to the mind. No claim to
originality is made to the examples
given here, most OF which were brought
out at the dinner mentioned, but un-
doubtedly some readers will find q num-
Der Of questions which they have never
before heard. Who has not at some
period of his existence puzzled his brain
over this query:
Iagoose weighs ten pounds and
half its own weight, what is the weight
oithe goose?
Many persons have undoubtedly been
tempted to answer fifteen pounds, when
Incorrect answer, of course, is twenty
pounds, as they discover after giving
the problem a little thought. An ex-
ceedingly wise man has sometimes been
caught by q very simple question of
this sort. The following for example:
How many days would it take to cut
upapiece OF cloth fifty yards long, one
yard being cut off every day?
Or this:
Asnail climbing up post twenty feet
high ascends Ave feet every day and
slips down four feet every night. How
long will it take the snail to reach the
top the post?
These are simple questions in
arithmetic, and yet, how many per.
sons would answer fifty days, instead
Of forty-ninc to the first one, and
twenty instead OF sixteen to the last
one, 1t is perhaps scarcely necessary
topoint out that the snail would gain
one foot a day for fifteen days, and on
The sixteenth day reach the top OF
The pole, and there, of course, remain,
Here is one Of a different sort, but
none the less puzzling:
Aman walks round q pole, on the
@p Of which is a monkey. AS the mar
moves, the monkey turns round on the
Wp the pole, so as still to keep face
% lace with the man. When the mar
aSgone round the pole, has he or ha.
asho' gone round the monkey?
as either answer to this question may
% upheld with strong and logica
aguments, the reader is left to decide
aequestlon for himself.
winch, ut any given moment, is NOV
y forward faster, the top of a coacl
wheel, or the bottom?
Ihe answer to this question seem
supple enough, but probably nine per
Sus ont OF ten, asked at random, woult
"e ~ the wrong reply. 1t would appea
~a,ss sight that the top and bottom
: Ips' W DC moving at the same rate; tha
NJ, n ae speed of the carriage. But by
@us .. thought it will be discovered tina
~ ~ bottom of the wheel is, in fact, b,
ss'fechon OF its motion around it
~ s.'' moving backward, in an opposit'
seet'on ~ to that which the carriage i
:, inclns' a.. and is consequently station
~ u space, while the point on to-
a. le J wheel is moving forward witt
- u0aoled velocity of it's own motiol
A. oana the axis and the speed at whicl
ue carriage moves.
osy .Aay persons will recall the famou
nns auoA OF Zeno, by which he sough
x t.ove that all motion is impossible
M a oody," he argued, must NOV
M. sf IN place where it is or in
i. ~ Where it is not. Now, a body i,
nv. pace where it is is stationary an
Az alo. aie, be in motion, nor, obviously
sisse 20 IN motion in the place wher
,ls uO@ Therefore it cannot move a
ssus aes DO move, however, and that
pAila. pAi''eht answer to the ingeniou
Ssssopher. Il. Another paradox whic
i A., 0een Inherited from the Greeks
4 s,m,r y Achilles and the tortoise
s,se; sailies (the swift.sooted) allows tn
4 Nas e y. hundred yards start, an
4 ma ea !, yards while the tortoise run
4 ha,su.N.o NOW, when Achilles has run
4 .s ea Yards the tortoise has ru
i o.. sseus, and is therefore sti
j h eissance ahead. When Achi
4 ae,aas. aas run these ten yards
4 4cb;lla.o has run one yard. Whe
A ass rs mas run the one yard, the to-
j Via, S -, run u. one-tcnth of yard. An
4 ,,,ss sHsniles has run the one-tenth c
4 asa 'ae tortoise has run one-hur
sap@s @ a " is only necessary to co,
q su,. @e ~ same process of reasoning
" to,.as ass achilles can never orertak