Definition:One Hundred Fowls Problem/Historical Note
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Historical Note on One Hundred Fowls Problem
According to David Singmaster, One Hundred Fowls problems originated in Chinese texts sometime around the $5$th century CE.
However, note that the Bakhshali Manuscript from India contains one such; while it is possible that it dates to $3$rd century, this is debated.
By the $9$th century this sort of problem was well-known throughout the world.
It first appeared in European texts in Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes by Alcuin of York, where several such problems were posed.
Sources
- 1992: John Hadley/2 and David Singmaster: Problems to Sharpen the Young (Math. Gazette Vol. 76, no. 475: pp. 102 – 126) www.jstor.org/stable/3620384
- 1992: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Indian Puzzles