UNCLASSIFIED PROBLEMS.

“A snapper up of unconsidered trifles.”
Winter’s Tale, iv. 2.

414.—­WHO WAS FIRST?

Anderson, Biggs, and Carpenter were staying together at a place by the seaside.  One day they went out in a boat and were a mile at sea when a rifle was fired on shore in their direction.  Why or by whom the shot was fired fortunately does not concern us, as no information on these points is obtainable, but from the facts I picked up we can get material for a curious little puzzle for the novice.

It seems that Anderson only heard the report of the gun, Biggs only saw the smoke, and Carpenter merely saw the bullet strike the water near them.  Now, the question arises:  Which of them first knew of the discharge of the rifle?

415.—­A WONDERFUL VILLAGE.

There is a certain village in Japan, situated in a very low valley, and yet the sun is nearer to the inhabitants every noon, by 3,000 miles and upwards, than when he either rises or sets to these people.  In what part of the country is the village situated?

416.—­A CALENDAR PUZZLE.

If the end of the world should come on the first day of a new century, can you say what are the chances that it will happen on a Sunday?

417.—­THE TIRING IRONS.

[Illustration]

The illustration represents one of the most ancient of all mechanical puzzles.  Its origin is unknown.  Cardan, the mathematician, wrote about it in 1550, and Wallis in 1693; while it is said still to be found in obscure English villages (sometimes deposited in strange places, such as a church belfry), made of iron, and appropriately called “tiring-irons,” and to be used by the Norwegians to-day as a lock for boxes and bags.  In the toyshops it is sometimes called the “Chinese rings,” though there seems to be no authority for the description, and it more frequently goes by the unsatisfactory name of “the puzzling rings.”  The French call it “Baguenaudier.”

The puzzle will be seen to consist of a simple loop of wire fixed in a handle to be held in the left hand, and a certain number of rings secured by wires which pass through holes in the bar and are kept there by their blunted ends.  The wires work freely in the bar, but cannot come apart from it, nor can the wires be removed from the rings.  The general puzzle is to detach the loop completely from all the rings, and then to put them all on again.

Now, it will be seen at a glance that the first ring (to the right) can be taken off at any time by sliding it over the end and dropping it through the loop; or it may be put on by reversing the operation.  With this exception, the only ring that can ever be removed is the one that happens to be a contiguous second on the loop at the right-hand end.  Thus, with all the rings on, the second can be dropped at once; with the first ring down, you cannot drop the second, but may remove the third; with the first three rings down, you cannot drop the fourth, but may remove the fifth; and so on.  It will be found that the first and second rings can be dropped together or put on together; but to prevent confusion we will throughout disallow this exceptional double move, and say that only one ring may be put on or removed at a time.