Creative Solutions

Faced with the simultaneous equations

creative solutions 1

and

creative solutions 2

a lazy student ignored the second equation and solved the first in this way:

creative solutions 3

creative solutions 4

creative solutions 5

and hence x = 5 and y = 6. As it happens, that’s correct. Maurice Kraitchik writes, “Can you blame him for his answer?”

In Mathematical Circles Revisited, Howard Eves tells of “Hapless Harry,” who tackled

creative solutions 6

by writing

creative solutions 7

and

creative solutions 8