Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/16 - Digging a Ditch
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Modern Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $16$
- Digging a Ditch
- Here is a curious question that is more perplexing than it looks at first sight.
- Abraham, an infirm old man, undertook to dig a ditch for $2$ pounds.
- He engaged Benjamin, an able-bodied fellow, to assist him and share the money fairly according to their capacities.
- Abraham could dig as fast as Benjamin could shovel out the dirt,
- and Benjamin could dig four times as fast as Abraham could do the shovelling.
- How should they divide the money?
- Of course, we must assume their relative abilities for work to be the same in digging or shovelling.
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Sources
- 1926: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Modern Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Arithmetical and Algebraical Problems: Money Puzzles: $16$. -- Digging a Ditch
- 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Arithmetical and Algebraical Problems: Money Puzzles: $9$. Digging a Ditch