New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-12


puzzling:
man walks round pole on the top Of which is
monkey. AS the man moves, the monkey turns
round on the top Of the pole as still 10 keep race
TO face with the man. When the man has gone round
the pole, has he or has he not, gone round the
monkey!
AS either answer to this question may be upheld
with strong and logical arguments, the reader Is ieit
to decide the question for himself
Which, at any given moment, is moving forward
faster the top of coach Wheel or the bottom
The answer to this question seems simple enough,
but probably nine persons out OF ten asked at random
vould give the wrong reply 1t would appear At
first sight that the top and bottom must be moving
M the same rate that is, the speed OF the carriage
But by little thought it will be discovered that
the bottom Of the wheel Is, in fact by the mrecuoh
of its motion around its axis, moving backward, In
an opposite direction to that (which the carriage u
advancing and is consequently stationary in space,
while the point top Of the wheel IS moving forward
with the double velocity of its own motion around
the axis and the speed at which the carriage moves
MANY persons will recall the famous paradox OF
Zeno by which he sought to prove that all motion Is
impossible.
"A bodyv he argued, "must move either In o
place where it is in place where it is not Now.
body the place where it is is stationary ana cannot
be In motion, nor obviously, can IL be In motion In
the place where it is not Therefore 1t cannot move
at ALL"
Bodies do move, however. and that is a sufficient
answer to the ingenious philosopher Another para
dox which has been inherited from the GreeRS-tuas
of Achilles and the tortoise-is familiar
Achilles fthe swift.footed) allows the tortoise hun
dred wards start and runs yards while the tortoise
rms one Now when Achilles has run hundred
yards the tortoise has ten yards and is therefore
still that distance ahead. When Achilles mas run
these ten yards, the tortoise has run one
yard When Achilles has run the one yaru,
{anfb ~ vanf
when Achilles has run the one-tenth OF yard
the tortoise has run one-hundredth 1t Is only neces-
sary to continue the same process OF reasoning W
prove that Achilles never overtske the TORTOISE
OF course, it is fact that Achilles does overtake
the tortoise Notwithstanding this apparently logical
reasoning to the contrary. The conclusion Of that
paradox is somewhat different from the following
although in some ways similar to it:
A man owes four cents. He pays two cents one
day one cent the next, Oneha cent the next, and so
on onehalf each day Of the debt. Now, although on
the fourth day he only oncquarter OF cent II
he should be endued with the gift OF immortality aud
he should continue to pay the debt at the same ratio,
he could never pay all of it. There would always
remain that half of the former days payment provid-
ing he had counters small enough to make the pay
ments
Here is another puzzle in geometry. It does not
REQUIRE a skilled mathematician however, TO solve II.
Ii is required to demonstrate (geometrcaly) that
larger crop OF can be grown on an acre OF level
ground than on an acre Of slantng Vound The
stalks of corn supposed to grow perpendiculary
in both cases. and all other particulars such as fer
tllity Of the soil and the like, TO be the same.
The Ingenious reader win probably have no trouble
in solving the problem without assistance.
Philosophers, according to the latest devices, have
not been able TO decide what would be the fate OF
donkey placed exactly midway between two hayricks.
As there clearly why he should choose ono
thor he Is
ally, he would starve to DEATH
The cynic's reply TO this proposition may, perhaps,
be as good as any that could be found that is that
the philosopher who wastes time such question
ought to solve 1t by actual experience.
Probably every reader has quoted the provero
There Is an exception to every rule several hun
dred thousand times during his or her life ana never
thought that the proverb c0ntradloteo lisen TOT,
clearly il there Is exception 10 every RUE, thee 10
an exception to this peover therefore, there is rule
without an exception. . ,,, s.A.. 4, r.,
SON what relation is Dick to Tom is easier Of solution
than the other closely alieI 70 IT, WHICH runs
as follows: \ man standing before portrait says
sisters and brothers have none none. am,
What relation ne speaker answer TO hs des T Ss
When as matter oil fact it represents the speakers
il is seldom indeed that the following question is
A train starts daily from San Francisco "a New
yar. and one daily from New-York 10 san Francisco,
tba ionrney lasting five days. How many trains viii
az traveller meet in iourneyng from New'fOrk to
san Francisco - -. o,, e,,o .o,.
s "a matter Of course The fact is overlooked that
every day during the journey fresh train IS starting
som the other end while there are i've trains on the
~ 10 bcrfn with Consequently the traveller VIII
meet not five trains, but ten: "a. a., A., -. .
The following proposition is left for the reader to
| think about, l., A.. ..o.,, ,ho. -
one person has hairs upon his head then there mnse
| exist at least two persons VINO possess ioehuoany
| Of
This same proposition NAV be apphea 10 tae faces
o0Iereepbe differences between two faces be moo greater
tban the total number OF the human race then there
ns, c~ist nj least two persons who are 10 all ap.
narances exactly alike. when II is considered that
there about persons o n no ' Yery woa
eut within cOmparatlvely narrow limits, the truth
~ the proposition becomes obvious, without applying
| the logical reasoning OF It,