Page:The Algebra of Mohammed Ben Musa (1831).djvu/179

 one-fourth. Computation: The price of the girl is five hundred dirhems. The legacy out of this is thing; there remain five hundred dirhems less thing. The dowry is one hundred dirhems less one-fifth of thing; thus the heirs obtain six hundred dirhems less one and one-fifth of thing. Subtract now the legacy of the person to whom one-fourth has been bequeathed, namely, three-fourths of thing; for if one-third is thing then one-fourth is as much as three-fourths of the same. There remain then six hundred dirhems less one thing and thirty-eight fortieths. This is equal to the legacy taken twice. The moiety of it is equal to the legacies by themselves, namely, three hundred dirhems less thirty-nine fortieths of thing. Reduce this by means of the latter fraction. Then you have three hundred dirhems, equal to one hundred dirhems and two things and twenty-nine fortieths. Remove one hundred on account of the other one hundred. There remain two hundred dirhems, equal to two things and twenty-nine-fortieths. Make the equation. You will then find one thing to be equal to seventy-three dirhems and forty-three one-hundred-and-ninths dirhems.