Paris, France: 1789

Summary

A long time ago, in a far away land, a sage woman raised three boys to be honest and smart. When her husband died, he bequeathed her one milking cow, and thirty-fivemore to be divided among their three sons. According to the wishes of the father, the oldest was to receive half the number of cows, the second would get a third of the total, and the youngest would receive a ninth of all.

The brothers began to quarrel amongst themselves, as they did not know how to divide the herd. They attempted different ways to divide it, and the more they tried, the angrier they became. Every time one of the brothers proposed a way to divide the thirty-five animals, the other two would shout that it was unfair.

None of the suggested divisionswas acceptable to all. When the mother saw them squabbling, she asked why. The oldest son replied: “Half of thirty-five is seventeen and one-half, yet if the third and the ninth of thirty-five are not exact quantities either, how could we divide the thirty-five cows amongst the three?” The mother smiled, saying the division was simple. She promised to give each their share of the herd and assured her sons it would be fair.

Do you know how the wise woman divided the herd?