55:
38:
283:
question, which might be understood to exclude the narrator. If only the narrator were travelling to St Ives, but the phrase, "kits, cats, sacks, and wives" excludes him, then the answer to the riddle is zero. If everyone—including those being carried—were travelling to St Ives, but only the kits, cats, sacks, and wives are counted, then the answer is precisely 2,800.
277:
St Ives, the word "met" does not necessarily exclude the possibility that they fell in while traveling in the same direction. In this case, there is no trick; just an arithmetical calculation of the number of kits, cats, sacks, and wives, along with the man and the narrator. Another possible answer
423:
numbers. The sequence 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 appears in the right-hand column, and the terms 2,801, 2×2,801, 4×2,801 appear in the left; the sum on the left is 7×2,801 = 19,607, the same as the sum of the terms on the right. The equality of the two geometric sequences can be stated as the equation
282:
seven wives, but that none of them was accompanying him on the journey. One way of stating the answer, taking account of these ambiguities, is "at least one, the narrator plus anyone who happens to be travelling in the same direction". Still other interpretations concern the phrasing of the
424:(2 + 2 + 2)(7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7) = 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7, which relies on the coincidence 2 + 2 + 2 = 7.
210:
St Ives. If everyone mentioned in the riddle were bound for St Ives, then the number would be 2,802: the narrator, the man and his seven wives, 49 sacks, 343 cats, and 2,401 kits.
273:
Owing to various ambiguities in the language of the riddle, several other solutions are possible. While it is generally assumed that the narrator met the man and his wives coming
427:
Note that the author of the papyrus listed a wrong value for the fourth power of 7; it should be 2,401, not 2,301. However, the sum of the powers (19,607) is correct.
171:
The earliest known published versions omit the words "a man with" immediately preceding the seven (or nine) wives, but he is present in the rhyme by 1837.
795:
438:
involving houses, cats, mice, and grain, although in the Rhind
Mathematical Papyrus there is no discussion beyond the bare outline stated above. The
206:
St Ives. The trick is that the listener assumes that all of the others must be totaled up, forgetting that only the narrator is said to be going
696:
566:
439:
292:
182:, when it was a busy fishing port and had many cats to stop the rats and mice destroying the fishing gear, although some people argue it was
790:
590:
780:
775:
677:
800:
785:
688:
298:
175:
183:
61:
726:
543:
633:
520:
178:
in
England when the rhyme was first published. It is generally thought that the rhyme refers to
121:
The following version is found in a manuscript (Harley MS 7316) dating from approximately 1730:
692:
586:
562:
179:
43:
770:
629:
539:
516:
461:
17:
754:
420:
764:
435:
80:
702:
213:
This interpretation provided the basis for a verse reply from "Philo-Rhithmus" of
187:
620:
Philo-Rhithmus (8 September 1779). "To the
Publisher of the Weekly Magazine".
431:
301:(Problem 79), dated to around 1650 BC. The papyrus is translated as follows:
465:
416:
214:
84:
141:
A version very similar to that accepted today was published in the
457:
453:
388:
366:
202:
is going to St Ives—the narrator. All of the others are coming
76:
373:
757:, "Number Theory and its History", McGraw–Hill Book Co, 1944
497:(Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 376–7.
303:
534:
198:
The traditional understanding of this rhyme is that only
241:
As you seem to suppose? – Don't you see that the cunning
225:
Why the deuce do you give yourselves so much vexation,
727:"Transcript EPISODE 17 – RHIND MATHEMATICAL PAPYRUS"
231:
Of the number of cats, with their kittens and sacks,
46:, one of the two most likely settings of the riddle,
583:
The St Ives
Problem, a 4000 Year Old Nursery Rhyme?
415:The problem appears to be an illustration of an
190:and therefore an equally plausible destination.
228:And puzzle your brains with a long calculation
8:
678:"Recreational Mathematics in Ancient Egypt"
622:The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement
515:. Edinburgh: Ruddiman: 132. 4 August 1779.
509:The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement
609:. Courier Dover Publications. p. 118.
489:
487:
485:
650:. The Stationery Office. 1931. p. 9.
217:, in the September 8, 1779, issue of the
79:19772) is a traditional English-language
495:The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
481:
278:is that the man with seven wives might
265:only could go, – for the rest were all
561:, St Ives Town Council, p. 131,
293:Ancient Egyptian units of measurement
238:to St Ives, on the old women's backs,
174:There were a number of places called
112:How many were there going to St Ives?
7:
259:too, – as sure's they were married,
90:The most common modern version is:
297:A similar problem is found in the
25:
538:(274). Edinburgh: Chambers: 112.
691:, pp. 11–14 (in PDF, 1–4),
152:Upon the road I met seven wives;
53:
36:
661:Gibson, Bryan (18 April 2014).
167:How many were going to St Ives?
665:. Waterside Press. p. 76.
137:And every Cat had nine Kittens
131:And every Wife had nine Sacs,
1:
607:Number Theory and Its History
164:Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
109:Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
97:I met a man with seven wives,
796:Traditional children's songs
628:. Edinburgh: Ruddiman: 256.
434:by modern commentators as a
536:Chambers' Edinburgh Journal
155:Every wife had seven sacks,
134:And every Sac had nine Cats
817:
689:Princeton University Press
581:Flanagan, Bridget (2003),
559:St Ives, Slepe by the Ouse
299:Rhind Mathematical Papyrus
290:
287:Rhind mathematical papyrus
158:Every sack had seven cats,
149:As I was going to St Ives,
100:Each wife had seven sacks,
94:As I was going to St Ives,
29:Traditional English riddle
18:As I was going to St. Ives
161:Every cat had seven kits:
103:Each sack had seven cats,
73:As I was going to St Ives
791:English children's songs
456:(approximately 4.8
186:, as this is an ancient
106:Each cat had seven kits:
544:2027/mdp.39015035107351
184:St Ives, Cambridgeshire
62:St Ives, Cambridgeshire
781:English nursery rhymes
776:History of mathematics
731:A history of the world
685:Trigonometric Delights
248:? – The rest were all
663:The Legend of St Yves
605:Ore, Oystein (1948).
557:Hudson, Noel (1989),
507:"A Simple Question".
493:I. Opie and P. Opie,
430:The problem has been
255:But grant the wives
125:As I went to St Ives
801:Songs about England
708:on 24 December 2005
676:Maor, Eli (2002) ,
308:
145:of August 4, 1779:
786:English folk songs
306:A house inventory:
304:
698:978-0-691-09541-7
634:2027/chi.79376108
568:978-0-9515298-0-5
521:2027/chi.79376108
413:
412:
180:St Ives, Cornwall
83:in the form of a
44:St Ives, Cornwall
16:(Redirected from
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128:I met Nine Wives
60:the other being
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143:Weekly Magazine
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592:0-9540824-1-9
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81:nursery rhyme
78:
74:
63:
45:
27:
19:
749:Bibliography
735:. Retrieved
730:
721:
710:, retrieved
703:the original
684:
671:
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621:
615:
606:
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494:
464:or 1.3
462:imp gal
460:or 1.1
429:
426:
414:
372:
305:
296:
279:
274:
272:
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262:
256:
249:
245:
244:Old Querist
235:
218:
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207:
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199:
197:
173:
170:
142:
140:
120:
89:
72:
70:
26:
755:Øystein Ore
737:26 February
466:US gal
452:of a cubic
432:paraphrased
421:multiplying
188:market town
765:Categories
472:References
291:See also:
477:Citations
417:algorithm
246:went only
215:Edinburgh
712:19 April
771:Riddles
447:⁄
409:19,607
401:19,607
393:16,807
361:11,204
318:houses
267:carried
194:Answers
176:St Ives
117:Origins
695:
589:
565:
406:Total
398:Total
377:]
345:5,602
329:2,801
250:coming
234:Which
85:riddle
733:. BBC
706:(PDF)
681:(PDF)
454:cubit
440:hekat
389:hekat
367:spelt
350:mice
334:cats
263:Eight
739:2012
714:2009
693:ISBN
587:ISBN
563:ISBN
442:was
419:for
353:343
280:have
275:from
257:went
236:went
204:from
77:Roud
630:hdl
626:xlv
540:hdl
517:hdl
513:xlv
468:).
374:sic
337:49
200:one
75:" (
767::
729:.
687:,
683:,
624:.
585:,
511:.
484:^
449:30
358:4
342:2
326:1
321:7
221::
208:to
87:.
741:.
636:.
632::
546:.
542::
523:.
519::
458:L
445:1
269:.
252:.
71:"
64:.
20:)
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