Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/17 - The Missing Penny/Solution
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Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $17$
- The Missing Penny
- Two market women were selling their apples, one at three a penny and the other at two a penny.
- One day they were both called away when each had thirty apples unsold:
- these they handed to a friend to sell at five for twopence.
- Now it will be seen that if they had sold their apples separately they would have fetched $2 \shillings 1 \oldpence$,
- but when they were sold together they fetched only $2 \shillings$
- Can you explain this little mystery?
Solution
This is an instance of the Applesellers' Problem.
Sources
- 1932: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Solutions: $17$. -- The Missing Penny
- 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Answers: $23$. The Missing Penny