Math Is Fun Forum

Math Guy

Member

Registered: 2005-10-12

Posts: 20

Hugh Louis Dewey and the Last Will and Testament

Old Mr. Jones lay gasping on his deathbed, just as his wife-- his very young wife-- was about to give birth to their first child.

The family lawyer, Hugh Louis Dewey, was summoned so that Mr. Jones could recite his last will and testament-- because he's going to have a new member of the family.

Mr. Jones says to the lawyer, 'If my child is a boy, then I will leave 2/3 of my estate to my son, and 1/3 to my wife. If my child is a girl, then I leave 2/3 of my estate to my wife, and 1/3 to my daughter.'

I don't know why he chose to do this, but this is Mr. Jones, and it's his business.

So, Mr. Dewey creates the document on his laptop computer and prints it out, so Jones can sign it. Mr. Jones grips the pen weakly in his shaking hand. He applies his signature to the will, and then, lights out for Mr. Jones. He croaks.

Twins?

How'd you guess? Moments later, with the help of the attending midwife, Mrs. Jones gives birth to twins. One boy and one girl.

If you are Hugh Louis Dewey, how would you divide the estate?

*Leave what you think is the right answer here

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 48,385

Re: Hugh Louis Dewey and the Last Will and Testament

If I were Hugh Louis Dewey, I would give a third to the son (i.e.2/3 of 50% of the estate), a sixth to the daughter (i.e. 1/3 of 50% of the estate) and the rest to his wife, that is exactly 50% of the estate!

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It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Hugh Louis Dewey and the Last Will and Testament

Possibly his intention was for his son (s) to get twice what the mother gets (m), and the daughter (d) half.

2m + m + m/2 = Fortune
4d + 2d + d = 7d = Fortune

So with that logic the daughter gets 1/7, the mother 2/7 and the son 4/7.

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 48,385

Re: Hugh Louis Dewey and the Last Will and Testament

I think MathsIsFun has given a much better answer than me! 

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It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.