Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/83 - A Critical Vote
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Modern Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $83$
- A Critical Vote
- A meeting of a charitable society was held to decide whether the members should expand their operations.
- It was arranged that during the count those in favour of the motion should remain standing,
- and those who voted against should sit down.
- "Ladies and gentlemen," said the chairman in due course, "I have the pleasure to announce that the motion is carried by a majority exactly equal to exactly a quarter of the opposition."
- "Excuse me, sir," called somebody from the back, "but some of us over here could not sit down, because there are not enough chairs."
- "Then those who wanted to sit down but couldn't are to hold up their hands ... I find there are a dozen of you, so the motion is lost by a majority of one."
- Now, how many people voted at that meeting?
Note that the language and concepts have been updated to accommodate modern sensibilities.
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Sources
- 1926: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Modern Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Arithmetical and Algebraical Problems: Various Arithmetical and Algebraical Problems: $83$. -- A Critical Vote
- 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Arithmetical and Algebraical Problems: Miscellaneous Puzzles: $166$. A Critical Vote