Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/459

 Popular Science Monthly

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��Puzzling Kugelspiel

An old Dutch sportsman informs me that our modern ten-pin game is derived from the Dutch pastime of Kugelspiel, played on the greens of Holland for many centuries. He says that while our modern game has resolved itself into mere expertness in knocking down the pins many variations of old Kugelspiel involved mathematical features as well.

The most scientific of these old-time "set-ups" employed 15 pins which were arranged, as shown on page 430, in three groups of 3, 4 and 8 pins respectively, and the contest between two players con- sisted in turn-about plays to see w'hich would be compelled to roll his ball at the final pin.

It is an interesting puzzle to work ovit just what should be the first player's shot to assure his leaving a final pin for his opponent, assuming that both players were so skilful that at every shot they could knock down any or all of the pins in one of the separate groups. At a sin- gle shot a bowler is permitted to strike a pin or pins from only one of the groups.

Here is a specimen game :

Player A knocks down 5 of the pins from the group of 8 ; player B wipes out the entire group of 4, leaving two groups of 3 each for his opponent. A then takes one pin from one of the groups ; B takes a pin from the other group and the situ- ation is now two groups of 2 each. A

����The Cost of a Villa

��An elephant on his hands

takes one pin then B removes the 2 and wins by leaving a single pin.

If you were bowling a game with the old Dutchman what would be your open- ing shot in order to assure the leaving of a final pin for him?

The Cost of a Villa

When the Smith's suburban villa was completed and they counted costs, it ap- peared that the painter's bill was $82 in excels of the paperhanger's charges; the plumber charged $30 more than the painter; the mason received $160 more than the plumljer and the carpenter, who charged $24 more than the mason, ren- dered a l)ill three times as large as that of the paperhanger. The lot cost half as much as the house, so who can tell how much the Smith's new home cost?

An Elephant on His Hands

An overly-ambitious Hindu who had acquired the proverbial elephant that "ale all night and ate all day," sought to rid himself of the voracious beast by un- loading him on a fellow native. The prospective buyer was willing to do busi- ness on the basis of 8 rupees less than the asking price; the would4)e seller would knock off only 20 per cent. There remained a difference of 7 rupees be- tween their terms, and the pachyderm failed to change owners.

Can you tell how much the native was offered for his animal?

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