When I paid a visit
to Peckham recently I found
everybody
asking, "What
has happened to Sam Solders, the plumber?"
He seemed to be in a bad
way,
and his wife was seriously anxious about the state of his
mind.
As he
had
fitted up a hot-water apparatus for me some years ago which did not
lead
to an explosion for at least three months (and then only damaged the
complexion of one of the cook's followers), I had considerable regard
for
him.
"There he is," said
Mrs. Solders, when I called to
inquire.
"That's how
he's been for three weeks.
He hardly eats anything, and takes no rest,
whilst his business is so neglected that I don't know what is going to
happen to me and the five children. All day long—and night
too—there he
is, figuring and figuring, and tearing his hair like a mad
thing.
It's
worrying me into an early grave."
I persuaded Mrs.
Solders to explain matters to
me.
It seems
that he had
received an order from a customer to make two rectangular zinc
cisterns,
one with a top and the other without a top.
Each was to hold exactly
1,000 cubic feet of water when filled to the brim.
The price was to be
a
certain amount per cistern, including cost of labour.
Now Mr. Solders
is
a thrifty man, so he naturally desired to make the two cisterns of such
dimensions that the smallest possible quantity of metal should be
required.
This was the little question that was so worrying him.
Can my ingenious
readers find the dimensions of
the most
economical
cistern with a top, and also the exact proportions of such a cistern
without a top, each to hold 1,000 cubic feet of water?
By "economical"
is
meant the method that requires the smallest possible quantity of
metal.
No margin need be allowed for what ladies would call
"turnings."
I
shall
show how I helped Mr. Solders out of his dilemma.
He says: "That little
wrinkle you gave me would be useful to others in my trade.
See answer
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