44:
27:
272:
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.
266:
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
412:
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
271:
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
413:(2 + 2 + 2)(7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7) = 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7, which relies on the coincidence 2 + 2 + 2 = 7.
199:
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.
262:
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
416:
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.
160:
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.
427:
involving houses, cats, mice, and grain, although in the Rhind
Mathematical Papyrus there is no discussion beyond the bare outline stated above. The
195:
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
171:, 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
784:
428:
666:
685:
555:
281:
779:
579:
769:
764:
789:
774:
715:
532:
677:
287:
164:
622:
509:
172:
50:
167:
in
England when the rhyme was first published. It is generally thought that the rhyme refers to
110:
The following version is found in a manuscript (Harley MS 7316) dating from approximately 1730:
8:
681:
575:
551:
168:
32:
691:
759:
618:
528:
505:
202:
This interpretation provided the basis for a verse reply from "Philo-Rhithmus" of
450:
409:
743:
609:
Philo-Rhithmus (8 September 1779). "To the
Publisher of the Weekly Magazine".
753:
424:
290:(Problem 79), dated to around 1650 BC. The papyrus is translated as follows:
69:
176:
420:
454:
405:
203:
130:
A version very similar to that accepted today was published in the
191:
is going to St Ives—the narrator. All of the others are coming
73:
446:
442:
377:
355:
746:, "Number Theory and its History", McGraw–Hill Book Co, 1944
486:(Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 376–7.
292:
65:
523:
362:
187:
The traditional understanding of this rhyme is that only
230:
As you seem to suppose? – Don't you see that the cunning
214:
Why the deuce do you give yourselves so much vexation,
716:"Transcript EPISODE 17 – RHIND MATHEMATICAL PAPYRUS"
220:
Of the number of cats, with their kittens and sacks,
35:, one of the two most likely settings of the riddle,
572:
The St Ives
Problem, a 4000 Year Old Nursery Rhyme?
751:
643:
404:The problem appears to be an illustration of an
179:and therefore an equally plausible destination.
608:
217:And puzzle your brains with a long calculation
275:
667:"Recreational Mathematics in Ancient Egypt"
611:The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement
504:. Edinburgh: Ruddiman: 132. 4 August 1779.
498:The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement
598:. Courier Dover Publications. p. 118.
478:
476:
474:
639:. The Stationery Office. 1931. p. 9.
206:, in the September 8, 1779, issue of the
68:19772) is a traditional English-language
569:
522:
484:The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
471:
267:is that the man with seven wives might
254:only could go, – for the rest were all
752:
649:
545:
550:, St Ives Town Council, p. 131,
282:Ancient Egyptian units of measurement
227:to St Ives, on the old women's backs,
163:There were a number of places called
101:How many were there going to St Ives?
664:
593:
248:too, – as sure's they were married,
79:The most common modern version is:
13:
286:A similar problem is found in the
14:
801:
527:(274). Edinburgh: Chambers: 112.
680:, pp. 11–14 (in PDF, 1–4),
141:Upon the road I met seven wives;
42:
25:
737:
708:
658:
650:Gibson, Bryan (18 April 2014).
156:How many were going to St Ives?
654:. Waterside Press. p. 76.
629:
602:
587:
563:
539:
516:
489:
126:And every Cat had nine Kittens
120:And every Wife had nine Sacs,
1:
596:Number Theory and Its History
460:
153:Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
98:Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
86:I met a man with seven wives,
785:Traditional children's songs
617:. Edinburgh: Ruddiman: 256.
465:
423:by modern commentators as a
7:
525:Chambers' Edinburgh Journal
144:Every wife had seven sacks,
123:And every Sac had nine Cats
10:
806:
678:Princeton University Press
570:Flanagan, Bridget (2003),
548:St Ives, Slepe by the Ouse
288:Rhind Mathematical Papyrus
279:
276:Rhind mathematical papyrus
182:
147:Every sack had seven cats,
138:As I was going to St Ives,
105:
89:Each wife had seven sacks,
83:As I was going to St Ives,
18:Traditional English riddle
150:Every cat had seven kits:
92:Each sack had seven cats,
62:As I was going to St Ives
780:English children's songs
445:(approximately 4.8
175:, as this is an ancient
95:Each cat had seven kits:
533:2027/mdp.39015035107351
173:St Ives, Cambridgeshire
51:St Ives, Cambridgeshire
770:English nursery rhymes
765:History of mathematics
720:A history of the world
674:Trigonometric Delights
237:? – The rest were all
652:The Legend of St Yves
594:Ore, Oystein (1948).
546:Hudson, Noel (1989),
496:"A Simple Question".
482:I. Opie and P. Opie,
419:The problem has been
244:But grant the wives
114:As I went to St Ives
790:Songs about England
697:on 24 December 2005
665:Maor, Eli (2002) ,
297:
134:of August 4, 1779:
775:English folk songs
295:A house inventory:
293:
687:978-0-691-09541-7
623:2027/chi.79376108
557:978-0-9515298-0-5
510:2027/chi.79376108
402:
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169:St Ives, Cornwall
72:in the form of a
33:St Ives, Cornwall
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117:I met Nine Wives
49:the other being
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581:0-9540824-1-9
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70:nursery rhyme
67:
63:
52:
34:
16:
738:Bibliography
724:. Retrieved
719:
710:
699:, retrieved
692:the original
673:
660:
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604:
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571:
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547:
541:
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483:
453:or 1.3
451:imp gal
449:or 1.1
418:
415:
403:
361:
294:
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268:
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255:
251:
245:
238:
234:
233:Old Querist
224:
207:
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162:
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131:
129:
109:
78:
61:
59:
15:
744:Øystein Ore
726:26 February
455:US gal
441:of a cubic
421:paraphrased
410:multiplying
177:market town
754:Categories
461:References
280:See also:
466:Citations
406:algorithm
235:went only
204:Edinburgh
701:19 April
760:Riddles
436:⁄
398:19,607
390:19,607
382:16,807
350:11,204
307:houses
256:carried
183:Answers
165:St Ives
106:Origins
684:
578:
554:
395:Total
387:Total
366:]
334:5,602
318:2,801
239:coming
223:Which
74:riddle
722:. BBC
695:(PDF)
670:(PDF)
443:cubit
429:hekat
378:hekat
356:spelt
339:mice
323:cats
252:Eight
728:2012
703:2009
682:ISBN
576:ISBN
552:ISBN
431:was
408:for
342:343
269:have
264:from
246:went
225:went
193:from
66:Roud
619:hdl
615:xlv
529:hdl
506:hdl
502:xlv
457:).
363:sic
326:49
189:one
64:" (
756::
718:.
676:,
672:,
613:.
574:,
500:.
473:^
438:30
347:4
331:2
315:1
310:7
210::
197:to
76:.
730:.
625:.
621::
535:.
531::
512:.
508::
447:L
434:1
258:.
241:.
60:"
53:.
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