69. A vessel on a 3 months’ trip has provisions for 4 months, but
the stores are served out as if the voyage had to be completed in 3
months. At the end of 2 months, it is discovered that the voyage will
take 3½ months. To what proportion must the rations be reduced for
the remaining time?
In a certain town in the North of Queensland, a class of young
men was formed to receive lessons in short methods of business
arithmetic. The teacher was endeavouring to knock into the head of
a young man that the cost of a dozen articles is the same number of
shillings that a single article costs in pence. To illustrate the
rule, he gave the following example:--
“If I buy 1 dozen apples at 1d each, then the dozen will cost 1
shilling; and if I buy 1 dozen oranges at 2 pence each, the dozen
will cost 2 shillings. Now, supposing I buy 1 dozen at 3 pence each,
how much will the dozen cost?”
YOUNG MAN (after two minutes’ reflection)--“Are they apples
or oranges?”