It may seem unbelievable, but government employees in China during the T'ang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.) had to take tests roughly equivalent to our present-day civil service examinations. The standard test for the arithmetic portion of the examination was prepared by the great Chinese Mathematician Hsia-Hou Yang. Here is one of the questions. Could you have passed this part of the government examination ?

" A farmer owned 18 k'o, 7 t'ow, 5 ho of rough and unprocessed rice. [Note: A k'o, approximately equal to one bushel, was the equivalent of 10 t'ow or 100 ho.] The farmer took his rice to the miller to be exchanged for processed and milled rice at the rate of 1 k'o, 6 t'ow of processed rice for each 3 k'o of rough rice. How much processed rice did the farmer receive?"



 

Solution to the Problem:

The farmer received 1,000 ho or 10 k'o of processed rice.

To simplify the computation, convert all units to ho.
The desired amount of rice = 1,875 / 300 x 160 = 1,000 ho, which is equivalent to 10 k'o.
You can set up a proportion:
1875 / x = 300 / 160
Solving for x, you get x = 1,000 ho.




Correctly solved by:

1. Sagar Patel Columbus, Georgia
2. David and Judy Dixon Bennettsville, South Carolina
3. Mike Singer Winchester, Virginia
4. Walt Arrison Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5. Math Man ----------
6. William Profitt
7. John Funk Ventura, California
8. Praveen Nandamuru Columbus, Georgia
9. Gusti Oggenfuss Montet, Broye, Switzerland
10. James Alarie University of Michigan -- Flint
Flint, Michigan
11. Gregory Bruno Waynesboro, VA
12. Tristan Collins Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
13. Charles Washington Winchester, Virginia
14. Slayton Gilmore Columbus, Georgia
15. Elizabeth Carlson Winchester, Virginia
16. Andrew Montoya Winchester, Virginia
17. Erin Fennacy Fresno, California
18. Jaime Garcia Ramirez Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
19. Malin Fredriksson Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
20. Jessie Biggs Winchester, Virginia
21. Julianne Harris Winchester, Virginia
22. Avery Acuff Columbus, Georgia
23. Rachel Pridgen Columbus, Georgia
24. Wictoria Widén Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
25. Brittaney Jackson ----------
26. Jeffrey Gaither University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
27. Danny Gordon Columbus Georgia
28. Carter Galbraith Columbus, Georgia
29. Olivia Quach Harrisonburg, Virginia
30. Kelley Kolar Winchester, Virginia
31. Bobby Arthur Winchester, Virginia
32. Patrick McDuffee Harrisonburg, Virginia
33. Stephen O'Hara Winchester, Virginia
34. Jeff McKenzie Winchester, Virginia
35. Carleton 'Buck' Jones Midwestern University - Glendale
Glendale, Arizona