Country estate builds picket fence to keep out mustelidae, polecats, stoats, ferrets and badgers
[1]
A loutish aristocrat plans to erect a picket fence along the perimeter of his estate. His daughter, a geometry whiz, looks at his plan and proposes a cost cutting fix: “Instead of five centimeters between the pickets, go with six-centimeter spaces.”
“Why?” asked the effete aristocrat, who barely passed geometry on the third try.
“Because you will use 300 fewer pickets to complete the fence,” she responded.
Given that pickets cost $5 each, find the total cost C of the required pickets.
C = $ _________
First correct answer sent to [email protected] [2] wins a gift card worth much ice cream at Tucker’s Ice Cream of Alameda.
Last week’s winner [3] was Matt Bliven with C = $16.33.
Jeff Smith is a former Math teacher and a retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander. Reach him at [email protected] [2].