How many going to st ives

A well-known nursery rhyme states, "As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, every sack had seven cats, every cat had seven kitts. Kitts, cats, sacks, wives, how many were going to St. However, the problem is a trick question. Since the man and his wives, sacks, etc. Ives , they were in fact leaving--not going to--St. The number going to St. Ives is therefore "at least one" the narrator , but might be more since the problem doesn't mention if the narrator is alone.

Should a diligent reader nevertheless wish to calculate the sum total of kitts, cats, sacks, wives, plus the man himself, the answer is easily given by the geometric series. A similar question was given as problem 79 of the Rhind papyrus, dating from BC.

This problem concerns 7 houses, each with 7 cats, each with 7 mice, each with 7 spelt, each with 7 hekat. The total number of items is then. Wells , p. In turn, the problem of the Rhind papyrus is repeated in Fibonacci's Liber Abaci , Eisele, C. Gillings, R. Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs. Wells, D. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, p. Ives and not away, the answer could be two, one, or zero depending on if you count only wives, sacks, cats, and kits, and if the narrator be a wife.

Yet another answer could be that the man and his cadre of wives, cats, and kittens could be living in a house along the way to St Ives, and the narrator simply paused along the way at his house. Another solution would treat the riddle as a red herring, and state that the average number of wives, sacks, cats and kittens travelling to a large market town in the 18th century could easily number much more than the mentioned in the riddle.

One could also look at it in another way. I met a man Another involves the use of past tense — "Every wife had seven sacks,". Yesterday he had money, today he has not. Using this past tense could mean that either a wife was carrying seven sacks, or used to carry seven sacks but at the moment both men meet one or more sacks were missing.

The same would apply for a cat which had seven kits. Perhaps 1 of the kits died; The cat still has 6 kits, but had 7. Another solution is that the man met was not monogamous, and had 7 wives. Therefore, this scenario is brought forth:. The narrator is going to St. Ives, and stops at a pub, or someplace similar, for a quick rest. While there, he meets the man, who tells the narrator about his multiple wives, who are at home, each with their seven sacks, cats, and kittens.

Well actually you specifically asked about the kittens, cats, sacks, wives, so the answer would be 0! He was the only that it specifies was going to St. But also there may be others who weren't mentioned. There may be people going but they weren't mentioned. I heard this one from my pops when I was little, he wouldn't tell us the answer and made us figure it out. Must have taken me a couple of years before I got it.

We learned it slightly different. The answer is one. I was the only one going to St. Ives, and I met the man with seven wives he was obviously leaving St. You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Paste as plain text instead. Only 75 emoji are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor.

Upload or insert images from URL. Share More sharing options Followers 0. Answer this question Ask a question. Guest Posted September 12, Posted September 12, As I was going to Saint Ives, I crossed the path of seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had seven cats, Every cat had seven kittens, Kittens, cats, sacks, wives, How many were going to Saint Ives? Remark of Site Admin: Note that solution for this puzzle is already given in the following post by unreality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options Recommended Posts.

I think the answer is seven. It was also in Die Hard with a Vengeance. Guest Posted September 28, Posted September 28, I was interested in what Wiki had to say about it as a solution and thought I'd post it. The following interpretations of the riddle reflect the ambiguity of the language, which could originally have been specific to the normal social expectations of a period in history.

The idea of meeting somebody on a journey obviously depends on the means of transport and the kind of journey being undertaken. If the route to St Ives is basically one road with traffic moving both ways along it, it is reasonable to assume that "meeting" someone will involve them coming the other way towards you.

To be accurate you would "pass" somebody going in the same direction or stationary by the roadside. You could also meet them at a junction if they were crossing your route on their way to somewhere else.

Therefore, this scenario is brought forth: The narrator is going to St. That means that only one, the narrator, was going to St. Another riddle from granny I just remembered: There was a girl in our town, Silk an' satin was her gown, Silk an' satin, gold an' velvet, Guess her name, three times I've telled it.

Posted September 29,