10ticks Daily Puzzle

Lewis Carroll's Puzzles
This puzzle is from Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland When the King found that his money was nearly all gone, and that he really must live more economically, he decided on sending away most of his Wise Men. There were some hundreds of them, all very fine old men, and magnificently dressed in green velvet gowns with gold buttons. If they had a fault, it was that they always contradicted one another when asked for their advice, and they certainly ate and drank enormously. So, on the whole, he was rather glad to get rid of them. But there was an old law, which he did not dare to disobey, which said that there must always be: Seven blind of both eyes: Ten blind of one eye: Five that see with both eyes: Nine that see with one eye. Query: How many did he keep?

Lewis Carroll's Puzzles

This puzzle is from Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland

When the King found that his money was nearly all gone, and that he really must live more economically, he decided on sending away most of his Wise Men. There were some hundreds of them, all very fine old men, and magnificently dressed in green velvet gowns with gold buttons. If they had a fault, it was that they always contradicted one another when asked for their advice, and they certainly ate and drank enormously. So, on the whole, he was rather glad to get rid of them. But there was an old law, which he did not dare to disobey, which said that there must always be:

Seven blind of both eyes:
Ten blind of one eye:
Five that see with both eyes:
Nine that see with one eye.

Query: How many did he keep?

Solution
Five seeing and seven blind gives us twelve, in all, we find; But all of these, 'tis very plain, Come into account again. For take notice it may be true, that those that are blind of one eye are blind of two; And consider contrariwise, That to see with your eye you may have your eyes. So setting one against the other; For a mathematician no great bother And working the sum you will understand That sixteen wise men still trouble the land.

Solution

Five seeing and seven blind gives us twelve, in all, we find;
But all of these, 'tis very plain, Come into account again.
For take notice it may be true, that those that are blind of one eye are blind of two;
And consider contrariwise, That to see with your eye you may have your eyes.
So setting one against the other;
For a mathematician no great bother
And working the sum you will understand
That sixteen wise men still trouble the land.