The Ziggurat of Ur, an ancient Mesopotamian site known for its stunning architecture and historical importance Alamy
Test Yourself
Can you beat the puzzle master? (Plus: find answers to Wednesday’s puzzle.)
MATHS WEEK is under way and, as is our annual tradition, we’re setting our readers some puzzles every night. Give them a go! You can check out other events being held over the next couple of days here.
MORE THAN 5,000 years ago, people in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) were calculating the areas of agricultural field. We know because they recorded their measurements on clay tablets. This was presumably important for land ownership and, perhaps, taxation.
This appears to be the earliest record of geometry. The word comes from ancient Greek words ge metron meaning Earth and measurement.
See how good you are at Earth measurement with these puzzles:
1) A farmer has 100m of fencing. What is the largest rectangular area they could enclose?
2) What is the largest area overall they could enclose with 100m of fencing?
3) A rectangular garden measures 10m x 8m. There is a path 1m wide running around the edge and the rest in a lawn. What is the area of the lawn?
4) What is the area of the room marked “?” in the floor plan shown in figure 1?
5) The sketch of the floor plan of a house is shown in figure 2, but some measurements are missing. Can you work out the total floor area?
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Wednesday’s puzzle: the answers
1. (b)
2. (b)
3. (b)