Mrs. Hobson's boy
had an accident when playing
with the fire, and burnt two of the corners of a pretty
hearthrug.
The
damaged corners have been cut away, and it now has the appearance and
proportions shown in my diagram.
How is Mrs. Hobson
to cut the rug into
the fewest possible pieces that will fit together and form a perfectly
square rug?
It will be seen that the rug is in the proportions
36 × 27 (it does not matter whether we say
inches or yards), and each piece cut away measured
See answer