384.--THE CROSS TARGET.

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In the illustration we have a somewhat curious target designed by an

eccentric sharpshooter. His idea was that in order to score you must hit

four circles in as many shots so that those four shots shall form a

square. It will be seen by the results recorded on the target that two

attempts have been successful. The first man hit the four circles at the

top of the cross, and thus formed his square. The second man intended to

hit the four in the bottom arm, but his second shot, on the left, went

too high. This compelled him to complete his four in a different way

than he intended. It will thus be seen that though it is immaterial

which circle you hit at the first shot, the second shot may commit you

to a definite procedure if you are to get your square. Now, the puzzle

is to say in just how many different ways it is possible to form a

square on the target with four shots.

Amusements in Mathematics · 第 321 / 970 题