Thirty Nine, Seventy Five

We have exactly 100 coins. There are five different values of coins. We have decided to buy a piece of computer software for 39.75. We have the correct money, not a penny more, not a penny less! Can you discover what the five different types of coins are worth and how many of each we have saved?

History of Money

If you would like a new CD you would probably go into a shop and buy one using coins or notes. (You might need to do a bit of saving first!) However, this way of paying for the things you want did not always exist. Find out more ...

Debt Recovery

Tony and Tina can't work out which of them owes what to the other. Can you?

Oh for the Mathematics of Yesteryear

Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:

A garrison of $600$ men has just enough bread to allow $24$ ounces a day to each man for $35$ days; but, with the news that the enemy was planning an attack, the garrison was forced to reinforce to $4 800$ men. The enemy arrives and decides to enforce a siege - to reduce their own loss of life. How many ounces of bread a day must each man in the garrison be allowed, to hold out $45$ days against the siege of the enemy?

If the transport of $60$ cwt. (hundredweights) of bread for $20$ miles costs the garrison $£14 \; 10\text{s}$. (i.e. Fourteen pounds ten shillings), what weight can be carried $30$ miles for $£5 \; 8\text{s } 9 \text{d}$?

n.b. in those days:

$12$d(pennies) = $1$s (shilling)

$20$s = $£1$ (pound)

$16$ ounces = $1$ lb (pound - "weight")

$112$ lb= $1$ cwt