Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/231 - The Rose Garden

Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $231$

The Rose Garden

A man has a rectangular garden, and wants to make exactly half of it into a large bed of roses,

with a gravel path of uniform width round it.

Can you find a general rule that will apply equally to any rectangular garden, whatever its proportions?

All the measurements must be made in the garden.

A plain ribbon, no shorter than the length of the garden, is all the material required.

Sources

• 1932: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Geometrical Problems: Various Geometrical Puzzles: $231$. -- The Rose Garden
• 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Geometrical Problems: Triangle, Square & Other Polygon Puzzles: $279$. The Rose Garden