The Observer and The Times

Young Clutterbuck, the junior clerk, often found himself with time on his hands. On such occasions, he would resort to a certain window pane where a circular patch of clear glass showed where the circumambient grime had been purposefully removed. Thence, through the swirling yellowish fog, he could see the clock above the gate of [...]

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Snakes and Escalators

On a recent visit to the home of Mr and Mrs Crummles, I observed the Infant Phenomenon playing a solo dice game which she had invented and to which she had given the name Snakes and Escalators. On each turn she threw a pair of normal dice. But whereas the normal procedure is to calculate [...]

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Order, Gentlemen, Order!

Bob and Benjamin were excitedly describing the result of the First Annual Pickwickian Commemorative Wheelbarrow Race at Dingley Dell. Snodgrass, Tupman and Winkle had been the three contestants. «Tupman won the race; Winkle was in second place,» reported Bob. Benjamin disagreed. «It was Snodgrass who won. Tupman came second.» In fact, neither Bob nor Benjamin [...]

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The Captive Queen

A captive queen and her son and daughter were shut up in the top room of a very high tower. Outside their window was a pulley with a rope around it, and a basket fastened to each end of the rope of equal weight. They managed to escape with the help of this and a [...]

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The Monkey and the Pulley

A weightless and perfectly flexible rope is hung over a weightless, frictionless pulley attached to the roof of a building. At one end is a weight which exactly counterbalances a monkey at the other end. If the monkey begins to climb, what will happen to the weight – will it remain stationary, will it rise [...]

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A Spiral Walk

An oblong garden, half a yard longer than wide, consists entirely of a gravel-walk, spirally arranged, a yard wide and 3630 yards long. Find the dimensions of the garden.

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Up Hill and Down Hill

Two travelers spend from 3 o’clock till 9 in walking along a level road, up a hill, and back home again: their pace on the level being 4 miles an hour, up hill 3, and down hill 6. Find the distance walked: also (within half an hour) the time of reaching the top of the [...]

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