An ancient sculptor
was commissioned to supply two
statues, each on a cubical pedestal.
It is with these pedestals that we
are concerned.
They were of unequal sizes, as will be seen in the
illustration, and when the time arrived for payment
a dispute arose as to whether the agreement was based on lineal or
cubical measurement.
But as soon as they
came to measure the two
pedestals the matter was at once settled, because, curiously enough,
the number of lineal feet was exactly the same as the number of cubical
feet.
The puzzle is to
find the dimensions for two pedestals having
this peculiarity, in the smallest possible figures.
You see, if the two
pedestals, for example, measure respectively 3 ft. and 1 ft. on every
side, then the lineal measurement would be 4 ft. and the cubical
contents 28 ft., which are not the same, so these measurements will not
do.