Puzzles & Quizzes

Try Solving This Puzzle From an 1869 Harvard Admissions Test

October 31, 2016

Written by Curiosity Staff

This watch, chain, and locket brain teaser was supposedly part of the Harvard admissions test in 1869 — or so says Presh Talwalkar of the MindYourDecisions math-related YouTube channel.

Background: Nastco / iStock / Getty Images Plus, Watch & Chain: Adrien Coquet / The Noun Project, Locket: Hayley Parke / The Noun Project

The Puzzle

Here's the brain teaser: A man bought a watch, chain, and locket for $216. The watch and locket together cost three times as much as the chain. The chain and locket together cost half as much as the watch. What is the price of each item? Check out the video below to get the solution, or just scroll down to read the answer.

Can You Solve This Harvard Admissions Question?

It was supposedly given on a 1869 Harvard admissions test.

Solve If You Are A Genius (From 1869). Harvard Admissions Question Algebra Problem

– MindYourDecisions

ANSWER

The watch costs $144, the chain costs $54, and the locket costs $18. To find out how to get these answers, watch the video above.

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A census taker is going around town getting the ages of all the residents. A man tells the census taker that he has three children, then gives him clues so we can figure out the ages himself. The product of his children's ages is 72 and the sum of their ages is the house number. The census taker can't figure it out with just that information. The man then says, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that my oldest child loves chocolate chip cookies." The census taker then figures it out. Solving this problem requires a little bit of mathematical knowledge and some logical thinking!

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Written by Curiosity Staff October 31, 2016

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Try Solving This Puzzle From an 1869 Harvard Admissions Test

The Puzzle

Can You Solve This Harvard Admissions Question?

Solve If You Are A Genius (From 1869). Harvard Admissions Question Algebra Problem

ANSWER

More of Our Favorite Brain Teasers

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Try Solving This Puzzle From an 1869 Harvard Admissions Test

The Puzzle

Can You Solve This Harvard Admissions Question?

Solve If You Are A Genius (From 1869). Harvard Admissions Question Algebra Problem

ANSWER

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